*      DEC  15  1908      * 


^^^  *»  t.  jr  ? 


/Si"!  SE*'^ 


THE    FORWARD 
MISSION   STUDY    COURSES 


Anywhere,  provided  it  be  FORWARD."  —  David  Livingstone. 


EDITED    BY 

S.    EARL   TAYLOR    and    AMOS    R.    WELLS, 

As  a  committee  of  the  inter dominational  Young 
People's  Missionary  Movement . 


The  following  comprehensive  series  of  text-books  has  been 
arranged  for,  each  by  a  writer  especially  qualified  to  treat  the 
topic  assigned  him.  For  the  more  important  countries  two 
books  will  be  written,  one  a  general  survey  of  missionary  his- 
tory in  the  land,  together  with  an  account  of  the  people  and 
their  surroundings ;  the  second  a  series  of  biographies  of  five 
or  six  leading  missionaries  to  that  country. 

INTRODUCTION.  Into  All  the  World.  A  First  Book  of  Foreign 
Missions  ;  a  General  Survey  of  Mission  Fields  and  Missionary 
History.     By  Amos  R.  Wells.     Ptiblished. 

CHINA.  General  Survey.  By  Rev.  Arthur  II.  Smith,  D.D., 
missionary  in  Peking  and  well-known  author.  To  be  published 
soon. 

Biographical.  Princely  Men  in  the  Heavenly  Kingdom.  By 
Harlan  P.  Beach,  M.A.,  F.R.G.S.,  Educational  Secretary 
of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  and  author  of  a  number  of 
most  valuable  books  ;  a  former  missionary  in  China.     Published. 

AFRICA.  General  Survey.  By  Bishop  Hartzell,  in  charge  of 
the  Methodist  missions  in  Africa. 

Biographical.  The  Price  of  Africa.  By  S.  Earl  Taylor,  Chair- 
man of  the  General  Missionary  Committee  of  the  Epworth 
League.     Published. 

INDIA.     General  Survey.    By  Bishop  Thoburn,  the  distinguished 
missionary  to  India. 
Biographical.     By  William  Carey,  English  Baptist  missionary 
to  India,  great-grandson  of  the  famous  missionary  pioneer. 

THE  ISLANDS.  General  Survey.  By  Assistant-Secretary 
HiCKS,  of  the  American  Board. 

Biographical.     By  S.  Earl  Taylor. 


JAPAN.  General  Survey  and  Biographical.  By  Rev.  J.  H 
Deforest,  D.D.,  a  well-known  missionary  to  Japan. 

PERSIA.  General  Survey  and  Biographical.  By  Robert  E. 
Speer,  Presbyterian  Foreign  Mission  Secretary  and  author  oi 
many  valuable  books. 

SOUTH  AMERICA.  General  Survey  and  Biographical.  An- 
nouncement later. 

KOREA.  General  Survey  and  Biographical.  By  Rev.  H.  G. 
Underwood,  D.D.,  missionary  pioneer  in  Korea. 

TURKEY.  General  Survey  and  Biographical.  By  Rev,  E.  E. 
Strong,  D.D.,  Editorial  Secretary  of  the  American  Board. 

EUROPE.  General  Survey  and  Biographical.  By  Bishop  Vin- 
cent, at  the  head  of  Methodist  missions  in  Europe. 

EGYPT.    General  Survey  and  Biographical.    Announcement  later. 

BURMA  AND   SIAM.      General   Survey  and  Biographical     By 

Rev.  Edward  Judson,  D.D.,   son  of  the   great  pioneer  mis- 
sionary to  Burma. 

HOME  MISSIONS  will  not  be  in  the  least  neglected.  A  full  and 
elaborate  set  of  text-books  is  proposed,  covering  in  successive 
volumes  by  specialists  the  Indians,  Negroes,  Mormons,  Moun- 
taineers, Chinese,  and  other  foreigners  among  us,  and  our  Island 
Possessions.  Dr.  J.  M.  Buckley  will  write  one  of  the  volumes. 
Detailed  announcement  will  soon  be  made. 

A  JUNIOR  COURSE  is  also  proposed,  and  one  or  two  text-books 
will  soon  be  announced. 


These  books  are  published  by  mutual  arrangement  among 
the  denominational  publishing  houses  involved.  They  are 
bound  uniformly,  and  are  sold  for  50  cents,  in  cloth,  and  35  cents, 
in  paper. 

Study  classes  desiring  more  elaborate  text-books  are  referred 
to  the  admirable  series  published  by  the  interdenominational 
committee  of  the  Woman's  Boards.  The  volumes  already  pub- 
lished are : 

Via  Christi,  by  Louise  Manning  Hodgkins.  A  study  of  missions 
before  Carey. 

Lux  Christi,  by  Caroline  Atwater  Mason.  A  study  of  missions 
in  India. 

Rex  Christi,  a  text-book  on  missions  in  China,  by  Dr.  Arthur  H. 
Smith, —  a  more  difficult  volume  than  the  one  he  is  preparing 
for  the  Forward  Mission  Study  Courses. 


Dr.  Morrison   and   his   Chinese   Assistants. 


The  Forward  Mission  Study  Courses 

EDITED  BY    AMOS    R.   WELLS   AND   S.  EARL  TAYLOR 

Editorial   Committee  of  the   Young   People's    Missionary   Movement 


Princely  Men 

in  the 

Heavenly  Kingdom 


BY 

HARLAN  P.  BEACH,  M.A.,  F.R.G.S. 

Author  of  ^*  A  Geography  and  Atlas  of  Protestant 
Missions  V   etc. 


^^■. 


?^^4:-^ 


THE     YOUNG     PEOPLE'S 
MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 

NEW    YORK 


Copyright,  1903,  by 
AMOS  R.  WELLS  and  S,  EARL  TAYLOR 


PREFACE 


Life  always  has  a  deep  interest  for  the  reader. 
It  pervades  the  otherwise  uninteresting  details 
of  achievement,  and  converts  missionary  annals 
into  modern  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  An  experi- 
ence of  many  years  in  connection  with  mission 
study  classes  shows  that  biography,  or  life  done 
in  ink  and  paper,  is  one  of  the  best  methods 
of  imparting  missionary  information.  It  is  all- 
inclusive  in  its  scope.  Missionary  geography  is 
transformed  into  the  necessary  background  of  a 
life  which  otherwise  would  not  be  understood. 
Methods  and  problems,  customs  and  religions, 
which  by  themselves  are  interesting,  are  most 
attractive  when  they  serve  as  the  scenery  of 
lives  full  of  activities  and  at  times  of  dramatic 
interest. 

This  little  volume  contains  the  fragmentary 
record  of  a  few  of  the  heroes  who  have  contri- 
buted to  the  uplifting  of  the  world's  greatest 
empire.  They  have  been  chosen  to  illustrate 
different  phases  of  missionary  endeavor  in  China, 
from  the  first  entry  of  Protestantism  to  those 
tragic  months  of  1900  when  a  worse  than  Dio- 


Preface 

cletian  persecution  sowed  the  Church's  most 
proUfic  seed  in  the  blood  of  her  faithful  martyrs. 
The  pages  of  the  text  have  not  been  burdened 
with  dates  ;  the  most  important  of  these  the 
reader  will  find  on  the  page  preceding  the  first 
one  of  each  chapter. 

It  is  not  supposed  that  the  reader  will  rest 
content  with  the  meager  details  found  here; 
color  must  come  from  the  fuller  biographies 
mentioned  in 'the  Bibliography  following  Chapter 
VI.  Those  who  use  the  volume  as  a  study  class 
text-book  will  find  in  the  Appendixes  material 
that  will  prove  helpful  for  such  a  purpose.  It 
is  suggested  that  every  reader  be  on  the  alert 
for  suggestions  from  these  sketches,  some  of 
which  are  as  worthy  of  being  incorporated  into 
personal  living  as  are  the  lessons  of  early  Church 
History,  or  even  of  the  apostoUc  age. 


CONTENTS 


■pagh 
I.     Robert  Morrison,  China's  Protestant 

Pioneer  . ^ 

II.    John   Kenneth   Mackenzie,   "The  Beloved 

Physician  " 45 

III.  James  Gilmour,  the  Apostle  to  the 

Mongols 77 

IV.  John  Livingston  "^evius,  the  Christian 

Organizer 107 

V.     George  Leslie  Mackay,  Formosa's  Preacher 

AND  Teacher 145 

VI.     Princely  Martyrs  of  China's  Spiritual 

Renaissance 185 

Appendix.   A  —  Bibliography        .         .        .         .         .223 

B  —  Organization  and  Leadership      .         .226 

C  —  Questions  and  Hints  on  the  Chapters     231 

Map  of  China Facing  page     244 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Dr.  Morrison  and  His  Chinese  Assistants,  Frontispiece 

Morrison  and  Milne's  Chinese  Bible     Facing  page      31 

Morrison's  Chinese  Dictionary 

John  Kenneth  Mackenzie 

James  Gilmour   .... 

A  Mongol  Camp 

John  Livingston  Nevius  . 

Dr.  Nevius  in  His  Wheelbarrow 

Dr.  Mackay  and  Students 

Armed  Head-Hunters 

Rev.  Horace  Tracy  Pitkin     . 

Meng,  a  Martyr  of  Pao-ting  Fu 


i.        u 

31 

(     « 

45 

(     (( 

77 

C       (( 

91 

107 
125 

u 

145 

(     « 

159 

(      n 

185 

((     « 

207 

Map  of  China 


244 


ROBERT     MORRISON 

CHINA'S    PROTESTANT    PIONEER 

Born  in  Morpeth,  England,  January  5,  1782 
Died  in   Canton,  China,  August   i,  1854 

THE   DESPAIRING    CRY 


"  O  rock,  rock  !  when  wilt  thou  open?  "  —  Exclamation  of  Catholicism's 
great  Apostle,  Xavier,  as  he  lay  dying  of  fever  off  the  forbidden  coasts  of 
China. 

"  O  mighty  fortress  !  when  shall  these  impenetrable  brazen  gates  of  thine 
be  broken  through?"  —  Lament  of  Valignani,  Xavier's  successor,  as  he 
gazed  in  sadness  at  the  same  inaccessible  mountains. 


THE    PROPHETIC   ANSWER 

"  I  have  this  day  set  thee  over  the  nations  and  over  the  kingdoms,  to 
pluck  up  and  to  break  down,  and  to  destroy  and  to  overthrow;  to  build 
and  to  plant.  .  .  .  For,  behold,  I  have  made  thee  this  day  a  defenced  city, 
and  an  iron  pillar,  and  brazen  walls,  against  the  whole  land.  .  .  .  And 
they  shall  fight  against  thee ;  but  they  shall  not  prevail  against  thee :  for 
I  am  with  thee,  saith  the  Lord,  to  deliver  thee.  ...  Is  not  my  word  Hke 
as  fire?  saith  the  Lord;  and  like  a  hammer  that  breaketh  the  rock  in 
pieces?  "  —  Jeremiah,  the  prophet  of  the  brazen  wall. 


PROPHECY    BEING    FULFILLED 

"To  have  Moses,  David,  and  the  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  and  His  apos- 
tles, using  their  own  words  and  thereby  declaring  to  the  inhabitants  of  this 
land  the  wonderful  works  of  God,  indicates,  I  hope,  the  speedy  introduc- 
tion of  a  happier  era  in  these  parts  of  the  world  ;  and  I  trust  that  the 
gloomy  darkness  of  pagan  scepticism  will  be  dispelled  by  the  Day-spring 
from  on  high,  and  that  the  gilded  idols  of  Budh  and  the  numberless  images 
which  fill  the  land  will  one  day  assuredly  fall  to  the  ground  before  the  force 
of  God's  Word,  as  the  idol  Dagon  fell  before  the  ark.  These  are  my  an- 
ticipations, although  there  appears  not  the  least  opening  at  present.  A 
bitter  aversion  to  the  name  of  our  blessed  Saviour  and  to  any  book  which 
contains  His  name  or  His  doctrine  is  felt  and  cherished.  However,  that 
does  not  induce  me  to  despair."  —  Words  of  Morrison,  when,  in  1819,  the 
translation  of  the  Chinese  Bible  was  completed. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST   OF   EVENTS   IN 
MORRISON^S   LIFE 


1782.     Born  in  Morpeth,  England,  January  5. 

1803.  Entered  Hoxton  Academy,  January  7. 

1804.  Offered  himself  to  the  London  Missionary  Society,  May  27. 
Goes  to  Gosport  for  special  training.  May  30. 

1805-06.     Studies  in  London  and  Greenwich, 
1807.     Ordination,  January  8. 

Voyage  from  England  to  New  York,  January  31-April  20. 

Voyage  from  New  York  to  China,  May  12-September  4. 
1809.     Marries  Mary  Morton,  February  20. 

Appointed  translator  to  East  India  Company,  February  20. 

1813.  William  Milne  reaches  Macao,  July  4. 

1814.  Baptizes  Tsae  A-ko,  the  first  Protestant  convert,  July  16. 

1815.  Wife  and  two  children  obliged  to  return  to  England,  January  21. 

1816.  Accompanies  Embassy  to  Peking,  July  is-January  i,  1817. 

1817.  Provisional  Committee  of  Ultra  Ganges  Mission  reports,  November. 
Granted  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  by  Glasgow  University. 

i8i8.     Foundation  of  Anglo-Chinese  College  laid  at  Malacca,  November. 

1819.  Translation  of  Bible  completed,  November  25. 

1820.  Family  returns  from  England,  August  23. 

1821.  Death  of  his  first  wife,  June  9. 

1822.  Finishes  writing  his  Dictionary,  April  9. 

1823.  Visit  to  Malacca  and  Singapore,  January  17-August  8. 
Appointed  vice-president  of  the  "  Singapore  Institution,"  April. 
Voyage  to  England,  December  6-March  23,  1824. 

1824.  Elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society. 

1825.  Second  marriage  — to  Eliza  Armstrong,  November. 

1826.  He  and  his  family  return  to  China,  May  i-September  19. 
1828.     Morrison's  Dictionary  translated  into  Japanese. 

1830.     America's   first  China   missionaries,   Bridgman  and  Abeel,  drrfve, 
February  25. 

1833.  Company  forbid  further  publication  by  Morrison,  June  22. 

1834.  Appointed  Chinese  interpreter  to  the  Crown,  July  16. 
Died  at  Canton,  August  i. 


I 

ROBERT    MORRISON 

China's   Protestant   Pioneer 

A  GREAT  man  will  be  great  anywhere  and  Heroes  of 
under  all  conditions;  yet  his  life  and  the  forms  ^'^^^ 
of  his  activity  will  necessarily  vary  with  his  en- 
vironment and  with  his  underlying  aims.  Hence 
it  happens  that  a  missionary  hero  of  Africa  will 
exhibit  his  greatness  in  deeds  of  daring  or  of 
patient  effort  to  enlighten  a  savage  or  barbarous 
people,  while  in  India,  China,  or  Japan  an 
equally  great  man  will  live  for  years  without  en- 
countering serious  peril,  and  in  quietness  will  lay 
foundations  upon  which  the  future  Church  in 
those  countries  will  rise  to  be  a  blessing  to  un- 
told millions.  In  general,  one  must  expect  to 
find  the  picturesque  and  the  exciting  in  lands 
inhabited  by  undeveloped  races,  while  in  civil- 
ized, or  semi- civilized  empires,  life  will  be  more 
commonplace.  Though  China  belongs  to  the  lat- 
ter class  of  countries,  there  are,  nevertheless,  con- 
stant points  of  interest  in  the  land  itself,  in  its 
customs  which  have  come  down  from  a  period 
antedating  the  birth  of  Abraham^  in  the  charac- 


12  Princely  Men 

ter  of  its  remarkable  people,  and  in  the  attrac- 
tions of  missionary  work  which,  under  God,  can 
produce  such  heroes  of  the  faith  as  were  brought 
before  the  world  in  the  summer  of  1900. 
"Princely      The  beau-ideal  of  Chinese  literature  is  known 

Men  in  the  ^^  ^j^^  c/iwt  tzujeUy  or  c/iwi  tzii,  commonly  trans- 

Heavenly 
Kinadom  "  ^^^ed  ** the  superior  man,"  but  more  literally  "the 

princely  man."  As  the  Empire  itself  has  as  one 
of  its  designations  T'ien  Kuo,  "  Heaven  King- 
dom," it  is  appropriate,  both  from  the  Chinese 
and  the  Christian  viewpoints,  to  regard  as  princely 
men  of  the  Heavenly  Kingdom  those  noble  rep- 
resentatives of  Jesus  Christ  who  have  lived  con- 
secrated and  consistent  lives  in  the  midst  of  those 
who  are  Celestials  in  God's  desire,  but  who  are 
so  far  from  being  true  citizens  of  the  -Kingdom 
of  Heaven. 
Unconscious  Robert  Morrison,  who  was  born  January  5, 
Preparation.  ^^§2,  enjoyed  few  of  the  advantages  which  one 
would  have  chosen  for  a  man  who  was  destined 
to  be  the  foremost  Chinese  scholar  of  his  time 
and  the  leader  of  the  forces  of  the  Church  against 
the  acknowledged  Gibraltar  of  the  non-Christian 
world.  Though  not  the  child  of  poverty,  he  was 
the  son  of  a  farm  laborer  who,  in  Robert's  third 
year,  left  Morpeth,  in  Northumberland,  to  be- 
come the  proprietor  of  a  last  and  boot-tree  shop 
in  Newcastle,  sixteen  miles  away.  Yet  the  lim- 
ited opportunities  for  schooling,  the  necessity 
laid  upon  him  to  work  diligently  and  steal  his 


Robert  Morrison  13 

cime  for  study  from  the  darkness  or  from  his 
work,  as  he  looked  for  a  moment  at  his  open 
book  upon  the  bench,  and  the  religious  training 
that  one  expects  to  find  in  the  home  of  a  Scotch 
elder,  were  perhaps  the  best  preparation  for  the 
pioneer  in  a  most  difficult  enterprise.     It  meant 
something  to  have  lived  his  boyhood  through  in 
England's  northernmost  county,   with  its  tradi- 
tions of  border  warfare  and  of  that  older  Roman 
period  which  has  left  its  memorial  in  the  lesser 
Chinese  wall  which  stretches  across  the  southern 
border.     Flodden  Field,  where  an  English  army 
had  so  nearly  exterminated  their  northern  foes 
that  there  ''was  not  a  worshipful  Scots  family 
that  did  not  own  a  grave  on  Brankstone  Moor," 
spoke   of  heroic  warfare  with   carnal  weapons. 
And  not  far  distant,  just  off  the  Northumberland 
coast,  was  Lindisfarne,  the  Holy  Island,  which 
Columban  monks  had  made  an  abode  of  piety 
and  the  home  of  learning  in  a  dark  and  heathen- 
ish age.     Morrison's  was  a  county,  too,  whose 
boys  could  count  as  a  fellow  shireman  brave  old 
Bishop  Ridley,  who  was  slowly  roasted  to  death 
for  Christ's  sake  over  against  Baliol  College  in 
Oxford.     Nor  did  young  Morrison  need  to  look 
to    the    past    for   incentives    to    great    endeavor 
against    overwhelming    odds;    for    had    he    not 
worked  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  father  of 
modern  railroads,  George  Stevenson,  who  could 
say     'I  have  fought  for  the  locomotive  single- 


14  Princely  Men 

handed  tor  nearly  twenty  years  ;  I  put  up  with 
every  rebuff,  determined  not  to  be  put  down." 
Spiritual  A  godly  father  and  a  praying  mother  were  his 
Preparation,  ^arly  object  lessons,  and  though  he  sowed  to  the 
wind  for  a  brief  period,  during  which  profanity 
and  intemperance  gained  temporary  mastery, 
God's  spirit  conquered  the  strong  youth  when 
he  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age.  "Conversion 
meant  for  Morrison  a  new  Hfe.  Old  things  had 
passed  away,  and  the  one  business  in  life  was  to 
cultivate  his  own  spiritual  nature  and  aid  every 
one  near  him  to  reach  a  higher  plane.  In  the 
family  circle  and  shop  and  church,  among  the 
poor  and  sick  of  Newcastle,  he  was  constantly 
on  the  alert  to  save  or  to  build  others  up  in  the 
Christian  life.  To  accomplish  this  he  gave  him- 
self to  prayer  and  to  Bible  study,  making  sacri- 
fices in  order  to  find  the  time  and  the  necessary 
seclusion.  Good  books,  like  Romaine's  Letters, 
Marshall  on  Sanctification,  and  above  all,  Mat- 
thew Henry's  quaint  and  helpful  Commentary, 
entered  into  the  bone  and  sinew  of  his  Christian 
Hfe. 
Vision  and  The  more  Morrison  studied  his  Bible,  the 
Action,  surer  he  became  that  God  needed  his  entire  time 
for  a  wider  ministry  than  was  possible  for  an 
artisan.  Hence  we  hear  him  saying  on  June  19, 
1801  :  "This  day  I  entered  with  Mr.  Laidler  to 
learn  Latin  ...  I  know  not  what  may  be  the 
end ;  God  only  knows.     It  is  my  desire,  if  He 


Robert  Morrison  i  5 

please  to  spare  me  in  the  world,  to  serve  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ  as  He  shall  give  me  opportunity." 
He  had  left  school  at  an  early  age  in  order  to 
earn  his  daily  bread;  henceforth  he  must  feed  his 
body  and  mind  at  the  same  time,  even  if  much 
of  the  night  needed  to  be  spent  in  the  process. 
He  did  not  excuse  himself  from  personal  effort 
for  others  because  of  this  extra  strain;  instead 
he  redoubled  his  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  those 
who  were  in  need  of  a  Christian  friend. 

So  faithful  was  Morrison  in  his  studies,  that  Missionary 
two  days  after  he  had  attained  his  majority  he  ^^^i^'^"- 
entered  Hoxton  Academy,  the  theological  semi- 
nary of  the  CongregationaHsts,   in  order  to  fit 
himself  for  the  ministry.     Here  he  soon  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  the  all-important  ques- 
tion of  the  field  of  his  future  activity,  and  the 
following  quotation  reveals  his  solution  of  the 
problem:    "Jesus,  I  have  given  myself  to  Thy 
service.     The  question  with  me  is.  Where  shall  I  ^ 
serve?     I  learn  from  Thy  Word  that  it  is  Thy 
holy  pleasure  that  the  Gospel  should  be  preached 
*  in  all  the  world,  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations.' 
And  hence  Thou  hast  given  commandment  to 
Thy  servants  unto   'the   end  of  the  world'   to 
'preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,'  promising 
them  Thy  presence.     I  consider  'the  world'  as 
'  the  field '  where  Thy  servants  must  labor.    When 
I  view  the  field,  O  Lord,  my  Master,  I  perceive 
that  by  far  the  greater  part  is  entirely  without 


1 6  Princely   Men 

laborers,  or  at  best  has  but  here  and  there  one 
or  two,  whilst  there  are  thousands  crowded  up 
in  one  corner.  My  desire  is,  O  Lord,  to  engage 
where  laborers  are  most  wanted."  In  the  line 
of  his  last  sentence  may  be  quoted  a  statement 
with  regard  to  difficulties.  His  desire  was  "that 
God  would  station  him  in  that  part  of  the  mis- 
sionary field  where  the  difficulties  were  the 
greatest  and  to  all  human  appearance,  the  most 
insurmountable,"  —  a  wish  that  was  gratified, 
surely,  in  China. 
Obstacles.  The  decision  cost  him  much.  Prospects  of 
being  sent  up  to  the  university  for  further  study, 
visions  of  large  opportunities  at  home  for  a  man 
of  unusual  strength,  the  changed  circumstances 
of  his  family  which,  had  he  not  been  one  of  eight 
children,  might  have  necessitated  his  heeding  his 
father's  appeal  to  return  home  and  assume  the 
burdens  of  the  shop  and  of  the  family,  and  an 
engagement  which  was  broken  off  when  a  for- 
eign mission  was  decided  upon,  —  these  were 
some  of  the  obstacles  which  God  sent  into  his 
life  to  fit  him  for  an  enterprise  which  was  beset 
with  difficulties. 
Special  Having  overcome  them  all  and  been  accepted 
Preparation,  ^^y  ^]^^  London  Missionary  Society,  in  1804  he 
went  to  its  training  institution  at  Gosport  for 
special  preparation,  and  the  next  year  he  was 
called  to  London  for  work  in  medicine,  astron- 
omy, and  Chinese.     Two  laymen  on  the  Board 


Robert  Morrison  17 

)f  Directors  had  felt  a  special  burden  for  un- 
reached China,  and  finally  they  had  prevailed. 
So  Morrison  was  turned  aside  from  Timbuctoo, 
his  first  love,  to  go  to  China,  —  just  as  Living- 
stone, desiring  to  go  to  China,  was  later  sent  by 
the  same  Society  to  Africa.  To  learn  Chinese  in 
the  heart  of  London  was  not  an  easy  task;  but  a 
manuscript  copy  of  most  of  the  New  Testament, 
translated  by  an  unknown  Cathohc  missionary, 
a  Latin-Chinese  Lexicon,  also  in  manuscript,  and 
an  irascible  native  of  South  China,  Yong  Sam- 
tak,  were  the  means  of  initiating  him  into  the 
mysteries  of  the  most  difficult  language  in  the 
world,  and  were  also  a  splendid  training  in  pa- 
tient endurance. 

Just  after  he  had  entered  his  twenty-sixth  year  Farewell 
Morrison's  preparation  was  completed,  the  last  ^^  ^i^gland, 
sermons  were  preached,  and  the  heart-breaking 
adieus  were  said  to  friends  who  were  dear  as  hfe 
itself.  He  could  not  sail  directly  to  China,  since 
the  East  India  Company's  ships  would  not  carry 
such  despicable  cargoes  as  missionaries  were  con- 
sidered to  be.  Hence  we  see  him  and  two  famihes 
destined  for  India,  bidding  farewell  to  England 
on  January  31,  1807,  en  route  for  New  York. 

Having  reached  our  metropolis  after  a  voyage  In  America. 
of  almost  eighty  days,  he  succeeded  in  securing 
passage   for    China,    and    armed   with    a    letter 
from  James   Madison,  then  Secretary  of  State, 
he  turned  his  face  toward  the  land  of  desire. 


1 8  Princely   Men 

This  was  not  done,  however,  until  he  had  won 
a  host  of  friends  and  awakened  much  inter- 
est in  a  cause  which  had  still  to  wait  three  years 
for  its  first  organized  society,  the  American 
Board.  He  had  also  returned  to  a  sneering  ship- 
owner his  classical  reply  to  the  question,  "And 
so,  Mr.  Morrison,  you  really  expect  you  will 
make  an  impression  on  the  idolatry  of  the  great 
Chinese  Empire?"  "No,  sir;  I  expect  God  will." 
After  a  journey  of  113  days  from  New  York,  the 
shores  of  China  came  into  view,  and  shortly 
thereafter  he  landed  at  Canton  on  September  7, 
1807,  a  day  long  to  be  remembered  in  Protestant 
Church  history. 
The  What  was  the  situation  confronting  Protest- 
Situat/on.  a^ntism's  pioneer  as  he  landed  amid  the  heats 
and  odors  and  perils  of  Canton?  The  English, 
who  were  almost  wholly  connected  with  the  hos- 
tile East  India  Company,  were  so  opposed  to 
missions  that  he  had  been  obliged  to  sail  on  an 
American  ship  in  order  to  reach  there.  Indeed, 
for  some  time  it  was  not  deemed  expedient  for 
him  to  be  openly  known  as  an  Englishman,  and 
hence  he  was  regarded  as  an  American.  The 
Catholics,  who  were  numerous  down  on  the 
coast  at  Macao,  were  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
coming  of  Protestants,  and  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  his  career  in  China  were  covertly 
or  openly  dogging  his  footsteps  and  organizing 
opposition  to  his  efforts.     The  Chinese  officials 


Robert   Morrison  19 

were  even  more  opposed  to  anything  except  trade 
relations  with  the  despised  ''ocean  men."  For 
any  native  to  teach  a  foreigner  was  a  very  grave 
offence,  and  as  for  openly  holding  religious  meet- 
ings, that  could  not  be  thought  of  for  years  to 
come.  The  Chinese  merchants  could  not  under- 
stand why  a  foreigner  was  there  who  was  never 
seen  to  enter  into  trade,  and  for  months  he  was 
a  suspicious  enigma  to  them.  While  he  had  a 
few  friends  from  the  outset,  notably  Sir  George 
Staunton  and  Mr.  Roberts  among  the"  English 
and  a  few  among  the  American  merchants,  the 
two  nationalities  were  rivals  and  not  at  peace 
among  themselves.  The  British  were  quite  will- 
ing, when  Morrison's  missionary  character  began 
to  be  known,  to  call  him  the  American  mission- 
ary, but  his  American  acquaintances  were  ex- 
tremely uneasy  lest  this  story  should  offend  their 
commercial  friends  and  the  Chinese  officials.  In 
the  anxieties  which  the  situation  occasioned  dur- 
ing those  early  days,  he  wrote:  ''In  my  father's 
house  and  by  my  father's  example,  I  was  taught 
at  morning,  noon,  and  night,  to  cast  my  care  on 
God.  This  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  way  in 
which  I  seek  peace  to  my  troubled  mind  and 
comfort  when  disconsolate.  I  do  not  boast  my- 
self of  to-morrow,  or  make  myself  unhappy 
about  it.  In  the  morning  I  seek  the  blessing  of 
my  God  and  His  protection  until  noon;  at  noon 
I  seek  it  until  night;  and  when  I  seek  for  the 


20  Princely  Men 

body  repose  at  night,  into  the  Lord's  hands  I 
commend  my  spirit.  If  at  any  time  I  take  a 
different  course,  I  shght  my  own  mercy  and  rob 
myself  of  that  peace  and  joy  which  is  to  be  ex- 
perienced in  believing  prayer  to  God." 
Canton.  The  Canton  of  1807  in  jts  native  section  did 
not  differ  materially  from  what  it  is  to-day.  The 
name,  by  a  strange  persistence  of  an  early  error, 
is  strictly  that  of  the  province  of  which  it  is  the 
capital  and  means  "Broad  East."  The  natives 
call  it  ''Capital  City  of  Broad  East,"  or  simply 
"Capital  City,"  while  two  other  names,  founded 
on  legends,  are  "City  of  Rams"  and  "City  of 
Genii."  It  is  near  the  southeastern  shore  of  the 
Empire,  seventy  miles  north  of  Macao  in  a  direct 
line,  and  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  White  Cloud 
Hills.  Between  it  and  the  sea  is  one  of  the  most 
extensive  and  fertile  river  estuaries  of  the  world, 
and  its  outlying  territory  is  the  home  of  almost 
all  of  the  Chinese  who  come  to  America.  While 
its  walls  are  not  more  than  six  or  seven  miles  in 
circuit,  there  is  as  large  a  population  without  as 
within  them.  Its  twelve  gates,  called  Great 
Peace,  Eternal  Rest,  etc.,  were  closed  at  night. 
A  view  of  the  city  from  a  distant  eminence  re- 
vealed "an  expanse  of  reddish  roofs,  often  con- 
cealed by  frames  for  drying  or  dyeing  clothes,  or 
shaded  and  relieved"  by  a  few  large  trees  and  in- 
terspersed with  high  red  poles  used  for  flagstaffs. 
Two  pagodas  shoot  up  within  the  walls,  far  above 


Robert  Morrison  21  \ 

the  watch-towers  on  them,  and  with  the    five-  I 

storied  tower  on  Kwanyin  Shan  [Hill],  near  the 
northern  gate,  form  the  most  conspicuous  objects 
in  the  prospect.     To  a  spectator  at  this  eleva-  j 

tion,  the  river  is  a  prominent  feature  in  the  land-  i 

scape,  as  it  shines  out  covered  with  a  great  di-  j 

versity   of  boats   of   different   colors   and   sizes,  i 

some  stationary,  others  moving,  and  all  resound-  ! 

ing  with  the  mingled  hum  of  laborers,  sailors,  | 

musicians,  hucksters,  children,  and  boatwomen,  j 

pursuing  their  several  sports  and  occupations  ....  j 

The  hills  on  the  north  rise  twelve  hundred  feet,  i 

their   acclivities  .  for   miles   being   covered   with  ' 

graves  and  tombs,  the  necropolis  of  this  vast  city."  l 

We  must  not  stop  to  look  at  its  more  than  six  j 

hundred  streets,  glorying  in  the  names  Martial  \ 

Dragon,    Pearl,    Golden    Flower,    New    Green  j 

Pea,  Physic,  Old  Clothes,  etc.   Pagoda,  temple,  1 

shrine,   and  the  thousand  curious  sights  which  * 

met  Morrison's  eye  must  be  imagined,  as  also  1 

Canton's  interesting  inhabitants.  ; 

In  1807  foreigners  were  not  permitted  to  live  The  Nearer 
at  will  throughout  the  city,  but  were  confined  to  ^"vironment.      ^ 
certain  houses  along  the  river  side,   known  as  : 

The  Thirteen  Factories.  The  number  being 
limited,  rent  was  exorbitant  and  the  cost  of  living 
so  great  that  Morrison,  in  order  to  economize, 
reduced  his  expenses  to  the  point  of  endangering 
his  health.     Moreov^er,  the  fear  lest  he  and  his  \ 

teachers  should  be  noticed,  if  he  were  seen  often  '] 


22  Princely   Men 

in  the  streets,  prevented  his  taking  exercise  in 
his  early  hfe  in  China.  The  Canton  of  the  for- 
eigners of  that  time  is  thus  described  by  Dr. 
Medhurst,  Morrison's  successor:  "The  Factories 
comprise  a  pile  of  buildings  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  square,  through  which  they  may  range  with- 
out molestation.  In  front  of  these  is  an  open 
space,  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  long  and 
fifty  wide,  where  they  may  take  the  air;  but  this 
esplanade  is  generally  so  choked  up  with  barbers 
and  fortune-tellers,  vendors  of  dogs  and  cats, 
quack  medicines,  and  trinkets,  with  a  host  of 
strangers  come  to  gaze  at  the  foreigners,  that  it 
is  difficult  to  move.  Adjoining  the  factories  are 
two  rows  of  native  houses,  called  New  and  Old 
China  Street,  where  foreigners  may  ramble  and 
purchase  trinkets;  and  if  they  can  endure  crowds 
and  confusion,  with  the  chance  of  being  pushed 
down,  they  may  stroll  through  the  narrow  streets 
of  the  suburbs,  but  never  without  offence  to  the 
olfactory  nerves,  or  the  finer  feelings.  Another 
mode  of  recreation  is  the  pleasure  of  rowing  Eu- 
ropean boats  up  and  down  a  crowded  river, 
where  the  stranger  is  in  continual  danger  of  being 
upset  by  large  Chinese  barges,  bearing  down 
upon  him  without  warning,  while  no  one  makes 
the  slightest  effort  to  save  those  who  may  be 
precipitated  into  the  water.  Should  he  land  at 
any  given  spot  up  or  down  the  river,  he  is  always 
liable  to  be  stoned  or  bambooed  bv  the  natives, 


Robert  Morrison  23 

when  they  are  strong  or  mischievous  enough  to 
attempt  it.  The  Government  does,  indeed,  allow 
foreigners  to  take  a  trip  in  parties  of  eight  or  ten 
about  once  a  month  to  the  flower  gardens,  which 
lie  three  miles  up  the  river;  but  this  indulgence 
is  so  pompously  given  and  of  such  httle  worth 
that  few  avail  themselves  of  it."  In  such  a  spot 
Morrison  spent  his  early  months,  wearing  the 
Chinese  garb  and  queue,  permitting  his  finger- 
nails to  grow  long  hke  the  native  scholar's,  and 
eating  Chinese  food  with  the  native  chopsticks. 
Later  he  abandoned  this  mode  of  living,  but  it 
proved  his  desire  to  become  one  with  his  adopted 
countrymen;  while  even  his  private  prayers  were 
offered  in  faltering  Chinese,  that  he  might  the 
sooner  acquire  their  language.  All  this  time,  it 
should  be  remembered,  he  was  under  the  closest 
espionage  of  men  who  were  his  security  to  the 
Government,  and  who  duly  reported  the  minut- 
est acts  of  the  new  comer. 

The  London  Missionary  Society,  in  view  of  the  Morrison's 
conditions  existing  in  China,  had  sent  him  out  ^^o^rm/n. 
with  instructions  to  prepare  a  dictionary  and,  if 
possible,  a  translation  of  the  Bible,  either  within 
the  Empire,  or  at  a  settlement  near  China  where 
he  might  be  allowed  to  live.  This  program  was 
practically  the  only  one  open  to  him,  and  it  proved 
in  the  end  the  best  one  that  could  have  been  de- 
cided upon. 

Two  factors  were  necessary  in  order  to  carry 


24  Princely  Men 

Two  Essen-  out  these  instructions,  he  must  have  competent 
tia/ Factors,  native  assistance  and  he  must  be  suppHed  with 
native  books  and  writing  materials.  But  what 
Chinese  would  incur  the  risk  of  teaching  him 
with  the  probabihty  confronting  him  of  being 
branded  with  the  characters  meaning  traitor? 
Through  the  kindness  of  Sir  George  and  of  the 
head  of  the  Enghsh  factory,  Mr.  Roberts,  Abel 
Yun,  a  Catholic  convert  from  Peking,  came  to 
his  assistance.  Morrison  still  needed  paper,  ink 
and  books,  but  within  a  few  months  his  Chinese 
library  grew  to  a  collection  of  500  thin  volumes. 
These  wxre  procured  at  great  expense,  because 
furnished  to  a  foreigner  and  also  because  of  most 
exorbitant' "  squeezes "  taken  from  him  as  an  in- 
voluntary commission  by  those  who  made  the 
purchases.  Yun  had  been  taught  by  the  Cath- 
ohc  Fathers,  so  that  he  could  speak  Latin  flu- 
ently, and  through  this  medium  and  what  Mor- 
rison already  knew  of  Chinese,  together  with  the 
two  manuscripts  which  he  had  copied  in  London, 
new  acquisitions  were  rapidly  made.  Lee,  his 
other  teacher,  was  a  literary  graduate  and  hence 
was  not  as  timorous  as  one  would  be  without 
that  safeguard.  Both  held  in  contempt  the 
knowledge  of  the  West.  ''My  two  people," 
•  Morrison  writes,  "agreed  in  considering  it  alto- 
gether useless  to  be  at  any  trouble  to  know  any- 
thing of  foreigners.  The  Celestial  Empire  has 
everything  in  itself  that  it  is  desirable  either  to 


Robert  Morrison  25 

possess  or  to  know.  As  the  most  learned  never 
acquire  the  whole  of  the  literature  of  China,  why 
then  concern  themselves  about  that  which  is 
exotic?  With  regard  to  religion  and  morahty, 
the  depths  of  the  knowledge  contained  in  the 
Four  Books  have  never  beefi  fatho^aed;  and  till 
that  be  done  it  is  folly  to  attend  to  any"  other." 

As  the  weary  months  of  that  first  year  wore  Anxieties. 
away,  Morrison's  constant  apphcation  to  study 
without  sufficient  exercise  and  nourishing  food, 
on  the  ground  floor  of  a  storehouse,  led  to  illness 
that  threatened  to  be  most  serious.  He  was  ac- 
cordingly obliged  to  secure  better  quarters,  pre- 
viously occupied  by  a  French  missionary,  whom 
the  Chinese  Government  now  ordered  to  be  de- 
ported, while  Morrison  was  permitted  to  remain. 
He  feared  lest  he,  too,  might  be  "required  to  go 
to  Penang  or  elsewhere;  but  the  kindly  offices  of 
his  London  tutor,  Yong,  who  had  secured  an 
excellent  position  on  his  return  to  China,  enabled 
him  to  remain.  As  time  went  on  Morrison's 
sterhng  worth  had  won  friends  for  him  among 
the  English;  so  that  when  serious  ill-health  made 
it  necessary  for  him  to  remove  to  Macao,  he  was 
provided  not  only  with  a  place  in  which  to  Hve, 
but,  better  still,  their  influence  preserved  him 
from  the  enmity  of  the  Cathohc  clergy,  who  had 
an  increasing  fear  and  hatred  of  the  zealous  and 
successful  Protestant  emissary.  When  later  a 
disagreement  with  the  Chinese  Government  drove 


iG  Princely  Men 

all  Englishmen  out  of  Canton,  his  powerful  fellow 
countrymen  furnished  him  with  protection. 
Spiritual  The  great  sorrow  of  these  early  months  had 
°''  '  been  his  inability  to  do  any  open  religious  work. 
An  attempt  to  conduct  a  service  for  the  few 
Americans  in  Canton  was  not  appreciated,  though 
the  first  meeting  was  attended  by  one  of  their 
number.  Long  residence  in  a  Sabbathless  land 
had  made  all  the  foreigners  indifferent  to  reli- 
gion, and  though  later  a  few  English  and  Amer- 
icans attended  services  conducted  by  Morrison, 
he  never  saw  any  large  fruitage  from  such  en- 
deavors. He  used  the  English  liturgy,  but  even 
this  concession  did  not  allure  Churchmen  to  his 
rooms.  From  the  outset  his  program  for  Sunday 
was  arranged  to  benefit  the  Chinese.  The  Gos- 
pel Harmony,  copied  in  London,  enabled  him  to 
present  to  his  teachers  and  servant  the  great 
truths  of  Christianity;  and  as  his  knowledge  of 
Chinese  grew,  his  ministrations  became  increas- 
ingly helpful.  To  the  end  of  his  life  these  Sun- 
day meetings  were  continued,  though  he  was 
never  permitted  to  conduct  an  open  service  for  all 
Chinese.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  necessary  to 
hold  the  meetings  behind  closed  or  locked  doors 
for  fear  lest  the  few  attending  might  be  arrested 
for  their  interest  in  Christianity.  Their  attitude 
toward  the  truth  taught  was  that  of  indifference; 
our  Lord's  words  were  right  words,  but  they 
claimed    to    have    similar    teachings    that    were 


•  \ 
J 

Robert   Morrison                    27  | 

i 

equally  good.     A  life-time  of  most  faithful  per-  | 
sonal  dealings  with  the  few  whom  he  was  able  to  j 
approach,  as  well  as  the  regular  services  on  Sun- 
day and  in  family  prayers,  resulted  in  very  little  ' 
manifest  fruitage.     If  as  many  as  ten  were  pres-  ^ 
ent  on   the  Sabbath,  it  was  a  good    attendance. 
Though  Morrison  yearned  for  their  salvation  and  ] 
endured  the  scorn  of  his  Chinese  friends,  as  well 
as  the  open  violence  of  his  assistants,  —  one  of 
them  tore  his  coat  from  his  back,  while  his  Lon-  j 
don  tutor  turned  against  him,  —  all  was  seem-  : 
ingly  in  vain.     Only  the  profoundest  convictions  : 
of  duty  and  the  deepest  longing  of  a  Christian 
heart  made  him  willing  to  continue  these  self-  \ 
denying  efforts.  j 
Not  until  he  had  prayed  and  taught  and  ag-  First  j 
onized  in  prayer  for  the  conversion  of  the  Chinese  Pfofestant  \ 
for  nearly  seven  years  was  he  rewarded  by  seeing 
even    one    of    them    give    himself    to    God.     In 
his  journal  for  July  16,   18 14,  he  writes:  "At  a  j 
spring  of  water  issuing  from  the  foot  of  a  lofty  | 
hill  by  the  seaside,  away  from  human  observa-  ] 
tion,  I  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  - 
and   Holy   Spirit,   the   person  whose   name  and 
character  have  been  oriven  above.     Oh,  that  the  ! 
Lord  may  cleanse  him  from  all  sin  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus  and  purify  his  heart  by  the  influences  of  ' 
the  Holy  Spirit!     May  he  be  the  first  fruits  of  a  ; 
great  harvest  —  one  of  millions  who  shall  come  ! 
and  be  saved."     Until  his  death  five  years  later  i 


28  Princely  Men 

this  earliest  Protestant  convert,  Tsae  A-ko,  re- 
tained his  faith,  though  how  imperfect  it  was  is 
indicated  by  Morrison's  account  of  him.  He 
had  heard  the  Gospel  in  the  missionary's  home 
during  his  first  year  in  China.  Three  years  later, 
when  he  was  working  on  the  New  Testament 
which  was  being  prepared  for  the  press,  he  came 
to  know  the  truth  more  fully.  Yet  even  then 
Morrison  says  of  him:  "His  natural  temper  is 
not  good.  He  often  disagreed  with  his  brother 
and  other  domestics,  and  I  thought  it  better  that 
he  should  retire  from  my  service.  He,  however, 
continued,  whenever  he  was  within  a  few  miles, 
to  come  to  worship  on  the  Sabbath  day.  He 
prayed  earnestly  morning  and  evening  and  read 
the  Decalogue  as  contained  in  the  Catechism. 
He  says  that  from  the  Decalogue  and  instruction 
of  friends  he  saw  his  great  and  manifold  errors, 
—  that  his  nature  was  wrong,  that  he  had  been 
unjust,  and  that  he  had  not  fulfilled  his  duty  to 
his  friends,  or  brothers,  or  other  men.  His 
knowledge,  of  course,  is  very  limited  and  his 
views  perhaps  obscure;  but  I  hope  that  his  faith 
in  Jesus  is  sincere.  I  took  for  my  guide  what 
Philip  said  to  the  eunuch,  '  If  thou  behevest  with 
all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest  be  baptized.' "  Had 
this  convert  been  like  Leang  A-fa,  the  first  Chi- 
nese baptized  by  Milne,  who  became  a  shining 
light  in  the  Church,  Morrison's  faith  would  not 
have  been  so  sorely  tried;  yet  our  hero  endured 


Robert  Morrison  29  ^ 

as  seeing  the  invisible,  and  patiently  labored  on 

until  death,   without  receiving  into  the  Church  ] 

more  than  two  or  three  others  of  his  own  con-  J 

verts.  ] 

In  November  of  the  year  following  his  arrival,  Morrison's  \ 

he  became  acquainted  at  Macao  with  the  family  ^'^'^^  '            \ 

of  Dr.  Morton  and  invited  them  to  his  rooms  for  i 

i 

worship.     The  son,   William,   was  his  pupil  in  j 

language  and  science  and  through  IMorrison's  in-  \ 

fluence  he  became  a  Christian.     His  father  de-  1 

sired  that  he  should  prepare  himself  to  become  a  i 

missionary  and  had  the  young  man  lived,  this  i 

wish  would  probably  have  been  realized.     The  i 

year  brought  to  Morrison  an  even  greater  bless-  : 

ing ;  for  an  acquaintance  with  Miss  Morton  soon  ■ 

led  to  her  conversion  and  later  to  their  engage-  \ 

ment,  and  in  February,  1809,  they  were  married.  i 

The  days  preceding  this  event  were  most  anxious  I 

ones  for  him.     The  jealousy  of  the  Chinese  and  \ 

the  enmity  of  the  Catholic  Church,  together  with  ; 

opposition   from   the   leading   employees   of   the  | 

Factories,  so  harassed  him  that  he  determined  to  i 

flee  to  Penang  in  the  hope  of  there  pursuing  his  \ 

labors  unmolested.  i 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  on  the  very  day  Translator  to 
of  his  marriage  an  invitation  from  the  East  India  ^^^  5"^^ 

Company   came   to   him   to   become   its   official  company.  \ 

translator  at  a  salary  of  £500.     This  offer,  which  \ 
he  accepted  as  did  the  officers  of  the  London 

Missionary  Society,  assured  him  of  freedom  from  j 


JO  Princely  Men 

molestation  in  language  study,  furnished  him 
with  an  excuse  for  being  in  China  that  would 
satisfy  the  Chinese,  protected  him  from  Catholic 
persecution,  and  provided  the  large  sum  needed 
in  order  to  print  his  monumental  Dictionary.  His 
salary,  which  was  later  largely  increased,  relieved 
the  Missionary  Society  of  his  support  and  made 
it  possible  for  him  to  subscribe  thousands  of  dol- 
lars toward  the  publication  of  his  religious  works 
and  the  educational  schemes  which  he  later  set 
on  foot.  While  most  of  his  time  must  now  be 
given  to  his  secular  duties,  —  a  great  sorrow  to 
him,  —  there  was  little  else  possible  for  a  mis- 
sionary living  within  the  Empire  to  do  except  to 
lay  the  foundations  of  the  Protestant  missionary 
enterprise  by  furnishing  the  means  of  acquiring 
the  language  and  providing  a  translation  of  the 
Scriptures. 
The  The  key  that  was  to  unlock  one  of  the  most 
Dictionary,  difficult  languages  in  the  world  to  Occidentals, 
may  be  said  to  have  been  begun  in  London  when 
Morrison  laboriously  copied  with  a  camel's  hair 
pencil  the  strange  hieroglyphs  taught  him  by 
Yong,  after  which  he  transcribed  the  Latin- 
English  Dictionary.  From  that  day  until  1823, 
when  the  six  quarto  volumes,  each  equal  in  size 
to  a  family  Bible,  were  given  to  the  world  by 
the  munificent  assistance  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, it  had  been  the  constant  burden  of  his  life, 
though  he  was  directly  engaged  upon  the  work 


Morrison  and   Milne's    Chinese  Bible. 

The  verse  enclosed  within  black  lines  is  John  3  :  16. 


Morrison's  Chinese  Dictionary. 

The  last  large  character  on  the  left-hand  open  page  is  the  Heo,  meaning  to  learn. 


Robert   Morrison  3  i 

for  seven  years  only.  Based  upon  the  standard 
Chinese  Dictionary  of  the  Emperor  Kang  Hsi, 
which  required  for  its  production  the  time  of 
thirty  of  the  best  scholars  in  the  Empire  for  five 
years,  it  is  far  more  than  its  name  suggests. 
''The  work  is  indeed  almost  as  much  an  encyclo- 
pedia as  a  dictionary.  Biographies,  histories,  and 
notices  of  national  customs,  ceremonies  and  sys- 
tems abound,  making  it  a  repertory  of  informa- 
tion on  all  matters  touching  Chinese  life  and  lit- 
erature." 

Brief  extracts  from  the  account  given  of  a  ^  Sample 
single  character  or  word,  will  show  the  intrinsic  ^"^'^^^f^'^- 
interest  of  this  Dictionary.  After  explaining  the 
symbol  Hco,  "learning,"  Morrison  describes 
most  interestingly  the  Chinese  educational  sys- 
tem and  then  quotes  100  of  the  rules  for  the 
regulation  of  schools  and  their  pupils.  Here  are 
a  few  of  them.  ''When  the  scholars  enter  the 
school,  they  must  bow  to  Confucius,  the  Sage, 
and  next  bow  to  the  master."  "Every  evening, 
when  about  to  break  up  school,  there  shall  be  an 
ode  recited,  or  a  piece  of  ancient  or  modern  his- 
tory narrated,  a  piece  the  most  easily  understood, 
the  most  affecting,  or  one  connected  with  im- 
portant consequences  being  selected.  All  frothy 
talk  and  lewd  expressions  are  forbidden;  and 
when  the  school  is  broken  up,  the  scholars  must 
bow  to  Confucius  and  the  master  the  same  as  in 
the  morning;  even  the  very  oldest  must  not  omit 


32  Princely  Men 

doing  so."  "When  they  reach  home,  let  them 
first  bow  to  the  household  gods,  then  to  their 
ancestors,  next  to  their  fathers  and  mothers  and 
uncles  and  aunts."  Rule  twenty  commands 
those  who  desire  to  memorize  to  bring  three 
things  to  the  work  —  their  eyes,  mind,  and 
mouth  —  and  carefully  to  avoid  repeating  with 
the  mouth  while  the  heart  is  thinking  about 
something  else.  Drawing  lots  as  to  the  order  in 
which  each  scholar  is  to  recite,  the  personal  ap- 
plication of  what  is  studied  to  the  life,  etc.,  are 
other  rules  found  under  this  character,  as  well  as 
a  full  account  of  China's  unique  examination  sys- 
tem, occupying  tw^enty-four  pages.  One  can 
readily  see  that  Morrison  really  needed  the  10,000 
volumes  of  his  Chinese  library  to  enrich  the  pages 
of  the  only  interesting  Chinese  Dictionary  ever 
published. 
The  Chinese  Even  more  important  in  the  early  history  of 
Bible.  Protestant  missions  in  China  was  his  work  as 
Bible  translator.  Here,  however,  he  made  large 
use  of  w^hat  had  been  done  by  the  unknown  Cath- 
ohc  translator  of  most  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  he  was  also  aided  in  the  Old  Testament  by 
Dr.  Milne,  so  that  this  work  was  not  as  largely 
his  as  was  the  Dictionary.  Thirty-nine  of  the 
sixty-six  books  were  of  his  own  translation,  how- 
ever. The  primary  difficulty  which  he  had  to 
overcome  was  that  of  finding  terms  for  the  cor- 
rect representation  of  spiritual  and  theological 


Robert  Morrison  33 

ideas.     The  manuscript  of  part  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament and  other  CathoHc  writings,  as  well  as 
the  famous  controversy  waged  between  different 
parties  in  that  Church  as  to  the  proper  term  for 
God,  and  the  usage  of  Chinese  Mohammedans, 
cast  some  light  upon  the  subject;  yet  Morrison 
carefully  studied  anew  the  whole  matter  of  ter- 
minology.    This  question  is  too  technical  to  be 
discussed  here;  suffice  it  to  say  that  the  terms 
chosen  by  him  differed  in  some  cases  from  those 
used  by  the  Cathohcs,  and  that  to-day  few  of 
them  are  retained.     As  for  his  translation,  the 
historical  portions  are  more  smoothly  rendered 
than  is  the  remainder  of  the  Bible.     Here  is  a 
literal  translation  of  the  first  part  of  Genesis: 
"God  in  the  beginning  made  at  first  heaven  and 
earth,  and  the  earth  without  form  and  empty, 
and  darkness  upon  the  abyss's  surface;  and  God's 
spirit   vibrated   over  the   water's   surface.     God 
said,    Let   obtain   light,    and    immediately   have 
light;  and  God  saw  the  light  to  be  good."     The 
Psalms  occasioned  more  difficulty.     The  139th, 
beginning  at  the  seventh  verse,  reads:  "I  to  what 
place  may  escape  from  thy  Spirit?     I  to  what 
place  may  escape  from  thy  presence?     I,  if  as- 
cend to  heaven,  thou  in  that  place.     I,  if  myself 
make  bed  in  hell,  behold  thou  art  there.     I,  if 
take  the  m_orning's  wings  and  dwell  in  the  sea's 
remote  places,  there  thy  hand  still  shall  lead  me, 
thy  right  hand  shall  guard  me."    In  India,  Marsh- 


34  Princely  Men 

man,  with  the  help  of  an  Armenian  from  Macao, 
named  Lassar,  had  translated  the  Bible  into 
Chinese,  and  it  was  issued  from  the  Serampore 
press  in  1820.  It  was  thus  the  first  entire  Chi- 
nese Bible  to  be  printed,  though  Morrison  and 
Milne  completed  their  work  of  translation  on 
November  25,  18 19.  Their  version  was  far  su- 
perior to  the  Marshman-Lassar  translation,  and 
except  among  the  Baptists  it  had  a  longer  life 
and  a  much  wider  circulation.  Apart  from  its 
great  value  as  an  evangelical  agency  in  China,  it 
awakened  a  great  desire  on  the  part  of  Occidental 
Christians  to  forward  a  work  which  had  hitherto 
seemed  hopeless;  while  learned  bodies  and  Eu- 
ropean scholars  lauded  the  man  who  had  pro- 
duced a  translation  of  the  Bible  and  a  Diction- 
ary incomparably  superior  to  anything  hitherto  ' 
known. 
Other  Morrison's  Chinese  Grammar,  like  every  sub- 
Uterary  sequent  attempt  in  that  line,  was  practically  use- 
'  less.  ''A  View  of  China  for  Philological  Pur- 
poses" was  more  successful  and  is  interesting  to- 
day for  any  reader,  and  so  are  his  "Chinese 
Miscellany"  and  ''Horae  Sinicae."  In  all  Dr. 
Morrison  published  in  English  nineteen  separate 
works,  including  some  minor  pamphlets,  while 
twelve  Chinese  works  of  his  were  also  printed. 
All  of  these  attest  his  industry,  care,  and  learning. 
Morrison,  the  The  work  already  mentioned  was  most  fun- 
Strategist.  damental  to  the  cause  of  Chinese  missions;  yet 


Robert  Morrison 


35 


Morrison  did  not  content  himself  with  transla- 
tion and  such  evangelistic  effort  as  the  narrow 
restrictions  already  mentioned  permitted.  The 
coming  of  his  only  colleague,  William  Milne,  in 
1813  and  his  own  liberal  salary  enabled  him  to 
plan  larger  things  than  could  be  accomplished  in 
the  Empire  itself.  Milne  was  a  man  of  great 
ability  but  was  so  rustic  and  unpromising  in  his 
youth  that  a  member  of  the  Society's  Committee 
proposed  that  he  be  sent  out  as  a  servant  to  a 
missionary.  When  asked  if  he  would  go  in  that 
capacity,  he  replied  with  joy:  ''Yes,  Sir,  most 
certainly;  I  am  willing  to  be  anything,  so  that  I 
am  in  the  work.  To  be  a  hewer  of  wood  and  a 
drawer  of  water  is  too  great  an  honor  for  me, 
when  the  Lord's  house  is  building."  This  half- 
orphan,  who  had  been  converted  from  a  life  of 
notorious  wickedness  to  one  in  which  before  he 
had  decided  to  become  a  missionary  he  spent 
hours  every  day  in  prayer  for  the  conversion  of 
the  world,  was  a  royal  assistant  to  China's  pio- 
neer. The  bitter  animosity  of  Catholics  and  the 
opposition  of  Protestant  merchants  made  it  im- 
possible, however,  for  Milne  to  remain  in  China; 
and  hence  his  brief  but  fruitful  Hfe  of  ten  years 
was  spent  in  Malaysia,  mainly  in  Malacca. 

Morrison's  scheme  called  for  an  educational  Ang/o- 
institution  outside  the  limits  of  the  Empire  and  ^^'"^^^ 
in  that  part  of  Asia  whei*e  there  were  many  Chi- 
nese colonists,  so  that  missionaries  might  be  free 


^6  Princely  Men 

to  educate  workers  for  the  Chinese,  as  well  as 
prepare  an  abundant  hterature,  which  Morrison 
clearly  foresaw  would  always  be  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  China's  evangelization.  In- 
struction in  Chinese  and  EngHsh,  later  in  Malay 
also,  was  given;  and  from  its  foundation  in  1818 
to  its  removal  to  Hong-kong  in  1845  it  did  a 
valuable  work,  though  it  never  rose  beyond  the 
grammar  grade.  The  Hterary  part  of  Morri- 
son's program  was  more  successfully  carried  out. 
Aside  from  Milne's  valuable  aid  in  translating 
the  Bible,  he  edited  a  periodical  in  Chinese  and 
issued  most  helpful  tracts,  particularly  one  of  the 
best  and  most  useful  in  China  at  the  present  time, 
his  ''Two  Friends."  Like  William  Burns  and 
Griffith  John,  he  had  the  happy  faculty  of  speak- 
ing to  the  heart  of  the  Chinese  in  the  very  ac- 
cents of  their  native  tongue. 
Other  Soon  after  Morrison's  arrival,  he  began  a  cor- 
Activities.  respondence  with  missionaries  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  feeling  that  much  was  to  be  gained  by  keep- 
ing in  touch  with  those  engaged  in  the  same  work 
the  world  over.  "The  Ultra  Ganges  Missionary 
Union,"  intended  to  unite  all  the  members  of  the 
London  Society  in  Southeastern  Asia,  was  a 
wiser  attempt  in  that  direction.  Its  objects  were 
''to  cultivate  mutual  fellowship  among  the  m.em- 
bers;  to  strengthen  and  perpetuate  the  Missions 
connected  with  the  Union;  and  to  promote  the 
diffusion  of  divine  truth  in  Pagan  and  Moham- 


Robert  Morrison  37 

medan    countries."     As    a    part    of    Morrison's 
other  duties  he  was  called  upon  to  be  a  purchas- 
ing agent  and  general  adviser  to  all  the  mission- 
aries in  that  part  of  the  world.     He  was  the  first 
to  be  invited  to  contribute  to  periodicals  which 
sprang  up,  such  as  the  Canton  Register  and  the 
Chinese  Repository,  the  latter  a  missionary  jour- 
nal.    The    first    work   for   medical    missions    in 
China  was  the  result  of  his  investigations  into  the 
needs   of  the  poor.     As  no  medical  missionary- 
was    at   hand   and   as   the   Company   physician 
could  aid  him  but  little  in  his  philanthropic  en- 
deavor, he  opened  a  dispensary  under  a  native 
practitioner,  in  which  were  treated  multitudes  of 
poor  patients  according  to  the  prevalent  methods. 
For  the  use  of  the  dispensary,  he  purchased  a 
library  of  800  Chinese  medical  works  and  a  com- 
plete assortment  of  native  medicines.     Meetings 
at  his  rooms  for  religious  conference  and  worship, 
and  others  to  which  were  invited  those  interested 
in  the  study  of  Chinese  or  of  subjects  relating  to 
China,  constituted  no  small  part  of  his  labors. 
The    correspondence   with    missionary   societies, 
which  finally  brought    to  China    such    men  of 
might  as  Dr.  Bridgman  and  David  Abeel,  and 
increased  to  six  the  force  sent  by  his  own  So- 
ciety  to   Southeastern   Asia,   was   an   important 
contribution   to  China's   redemption.     Work  for 
sailors,  for  whom  he  held  meetings  and  estab- 
lished a  coffee  house,  should  also  be  mentioned. 


38  Princely   Men 

Journey  to  Morrison's  only  journey  in  the  Empire,  beyond 
e  ing,  j^^^  shuttle  trips  between  Canton,  his  official  resi- 
dence, and  Macao,  his  home  and  city  of  refuge 
when  driven  out  of  Canton,  or  in  need  of  change, 
was  to  Peking  as  one  of  the  official  suite  of  Lord 
Amherst,  sent  as  ambassador  to  the  Emperor. 
The  journey  by  water  to  Peking,  and  by  the 
Grand  Canal  and  other  waterways  so  far  as  pos- 
sible through  six  of  the  provinces,  occupied  about 
six  months  of  1816.  The  embassy  was  a  fail- 
ure, owing  to  Britain's  rightful  refusal  to  permit 
her  representative  to  make  the  "three  prostra- 
tions and  nine  head  knockings"  to  the  Emperor; 
but  the  journey  gave  Morrison  the  opportunity 
to  enlarge  his  knowledge  of  the  language  in  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  Empire.  It  also  furnished 
much  needed  relaxation  in  visiting  places  of  his- 
toric interest,  such  as  the  White  Deer  College, 
older  than  Oxford  and  sacred  to  its  most  illustri- 
ous graduate,  Chu  Fu-tzii,  the  maker  of  modern 
Confucianism.  Few  traces  of  Catholic  Christian- 
ity were  found  on  the  journey,  but  he  held 
illuminating  conversations  with  Mohammedans, 
made  inquiries  about  the  Jews  of  Kai-feng  Fu, 
etc. 

The  Wider  The  Chinese  Scriptures  and  tracts,  prepared 
Parish,  i^y  j)j.^  Morrison,  as  also  his  ''Domestic  In- 
structor" and  "Scripture  Lessons,"  were  quite 
widely  circulated,  some  of  them  penetrating  into 
Korea  and  Japan  and  the  far  interior  of  China 


Robert   Morrison 


39 


itself.  He  even  had  the  joy  of  hearing  that  a 
young  Chinese  from  Macao,  who  was  hving  in 
New  York,  had  been  converted  through  reading 
his  Chinese  New  Testament  and  was  hving  an 
earnest,  consistent  hfe.  Leaving  China  early  in 
1823,  Morrison  spent  some  time  in  Malacca  and 
Singapore  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  Anglo- 
Chinese  College  and  in  establishing  a  Malay 
branch  of  the  same  in  the  latter  place,  the  two 
henceforth  being  called  the  Singapore  Institu- 
tion.. He  had  also  raised  his  voice  in  protest 
a^;ainst  the  licensed  gambling  and  the  slave  trade 
which  cursed  the  two  settlements. 

His  first  and  only  furlough  to  England  oc-  Home 
curred  during  the  years  1824-26,  after  he  had  ^"'''°"9^^' 
been  absent  sixteen  years.  After  returning  from 
Singapore,  he  sailed  in  December  for  England, 
reaching  there  in  1824.  His  wife's  ill  health  had 
forced  her  to  go  home  in  181 5,  and  returning  to 
China,  she  had  died  in  182 1,  so  that  in  England 
he  had  no  stated  home  until  his  second  marriage 
to  Eliza  Armstrong  in  1825.  Hardly  had  he 
landed  when  his  troubles  began.  A  fine  library 
of  10,000  volumes  which  had  cost  him  ;g2,ooo, 
and  which  he  intended  to  donate  to  a  public  in- 
stitution for  the  furtherance  of  Chinese  study, 
were  held  for  some  time  before  they  could  be  ad- 
mitted duty  free.  Otherwise  he  was  most  cor- 
dially greeted,  and  his  stay  in  England,  Ireland, 
Scotland,  and  France  was  a  constant  ovation  and 


40  Princely   Men 

a  wearisome  series  of  addresses  and  sermons. 
Often  his  day  began  at  five  in  the  morning  and 
closed  at  eleven  at  night.  Even  royalty  granted 
him  an  audience  and  some  of  the  foremost  schol- 
ars of  the  Continent  greeted  him  with  enthusiasm, 
—  men  like  Humboldt,  Remusat  and  Klaproth. 
Sir  Walter  Scott  desired  to  have  him  as  guest  at 
Abbotsford;  but  this  and  many  other  alluring  in- 
vitations must  be  declined  that  he  might  interest 
a  larger  number  in  China's  evangelization  and 
in  his  college  scheme  as  an  aid  to  it.  Among 
more  direct  efforts  for  China  and  other  missicn 
lands  was  the  establishment  of  a  Universal  Phil- 
ological Society,  whose  objects  should  be  to  "af- 
ford to  those  benevolent  persons  who  leave  their 
native  country,  with  the  view  of  imparting  to  the 
heathen  the  knowledge  of  Christianity,  every  de- 
gree of  assistance  before  they  quit  their  native 
shores."  It  also  included  the  collection  of  in- 
formation as  to  customs  and  opinions  of  the 
peoples  of  mission  lands,  instruction  in  languages 
by  returned  missionaries  and  other  competent 
persons,  and  the  collection  of  a  suitable  library. 
His  ambitious  scheme  eventuated  in  a  ''Lan- 
guage Institution,"  toward  the  development  of 
which  he  devoted  an  extra  year  at  home  at  his 
own  expense.  The  Institution  was  short  lived, 
but  so  far  as  China  was  concerned,  it  was  a  help 
to  those  who  availed  themselves  of  its  advan- 
tages.    In  addition  to  the  thirteen  studying  under 


Robert  Morrison  41 

him  was  a  small  class  of  ladies  who  wished  to 
prepare  for  foreign  missionary  service. 

In  1826  Dr.  Morrison  returned  with  his  fam-  The  End. 
ily  to  China.  The  closing  years  of  his  life  there 
were  clouded  by  increasing  difficulties  with  the 
Company  and  the  uncertainty  as  to  his  future, 
when  its  dissolution  should  be  followed  by  reg- 
ular British  trade  under  Government  care.  In- 
creasing weakness  also  added  to  his  anxieties. 
When  the  Company  finally  ceased  to  exist,  Mor- 
rison's fears  were  dispelled  by  his  appointment 
as  Chinese  secretary  and  interpreter  with  a  sal 
ary  of  over  $6,000.  Had  his  wife's  health  per- 
mitted her  to  remain  in  China  he  might  have 
rallied  after  being  thus  relieved  of  financial  anx- 
ieties; but  his  intense  affection  for  her  and  for  all 
the  members  of  his  family  was  an  occasion  of 
deepest  uneasiness  during  her  long  journey  to 
England.  This  sorrow  and  some  vexatious  ne- 
gotiations at  the  very  beginning  of  his  new  work 
aggravated  his  weakness,  so  that  he  finally  passed 
away  on  the  first  of  August,  1834.  Probably  no 
Englishman  has  ever  died  in  China  whose  de- 
parture has  been  so  widely  known  and  deplored. 
Friends  of  missions  the  world  over,  as  well  as  all 
interested  in  the  Chinese,  united  in  tributes  of 
highest  esteem  and  sorrow.  He  had  given  to  the 
heralds  of  salvation  in  China  a  dictionary  and 
other  linguistic  helps  that  for  decades  smoothed 
the  way  for  a  speedier  entrance  into  active  work. 


42  Princely   Men 

He  had  bequeathed  to  the  Chinese   the  Scrip- 
tures  and  other   rehgious  hterature   which  had 
led  many  into  the  light;  and  the  power  of  his 
Christian  example  was  even  more  helpful  to  a 
people  whose  obscurest  scholars  daily  strive  to 
reproduce  in  outward  ways  the  hfe  of  their  great 
Teacher,    Confucius.     To   the   world   Dr.    Mor- 
rison furnished  an  illustration  of  hfc-long  endur- 
ance of  petty  persecution  and  hydra-headed  op- 
position, which  were  more  than  overcome  by  a 
firm  trust  in  God  and  undying  devotion  to  the 
supreme  end  of  bringing  China  to  the  Savior. 
A  Testimony.      S.  Wells  Williams,  one  of  the  two  Protestant 
missionaries,   who  with  three   native    Christians 
constituted  the  entire  Protestant  Church  in  China 
at  Dr.   Morrison's  death,   thus  summarizes  the 
results  of  his  life:  ''The  dawn  of  China's  regen- 
eration was  breaking  as  his  eyes  closed  on  the 
scene  of  his  labors,  and  these  labors  contributed 
to  advance  the  new  era,  and  his  example  to  in- 
spirit his  successors  to  more  and  greater  triumphs. 
His  name,  like  those  of  Carey,  Marshman,  Jud- 
son,  and  Martyn,  belongs   to  the  heroic  age  of 
missions.     Each  of  them  was  fitted  for  a  pecuhar 
field.     Morrison   was   able   to   work    alone,    un- 
cheered  by  congenial  companions  and  sustained 
by  his  energy  and  sense  of  duty,  presenting  to 
foreigners  and  natives  ahke  an  instance  of  a  man 
diligent  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the 
Lord.     His  life  was  mostly  passed  in  the  midst 


Robert   Morrison  43 

of  those  who  had  no  sympathy  with  his  pursuits, 
but  his  zeal  never  abated,  nor  did  he  compro- 
mise his  principles  to  advance  his  cause.  His 
translations  and  his  Dictionary  have  been  indeed 
superseded  by  better  ones,  built  up  on  his  foun- 
dations and  guided  by  his  experience;  but  his 
was  the  work  of  a  wise  master-builder,  and  fu- 
ture generations  in  the  Church  of  God  in  China 
will  ever  find  reason  to  bless  Him  for  the  labors 
and  example  of  Robert  Morrison." 


John  Kenneth   Mackenzie,  M.R.O.S.  :  L.R.O.R. 


JOHN    KENNETH 
MACKENZIE 

^'THE    BELOVED    PHYSICIAN" 

Born  in  Yarmouth,  England,  August  25,  1850 

Died  in  Tientsin,  China,  April   i,  1888 

THE   DIVINE    COMMISSION 


_  "  As  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  Tlie  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the 
sick,  raise  the  dead,  cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out  devils  :  freely  ye  received, 
freely  give." 

OUR    LORD'S    EXAMPLE 

"  And  at  even,  when  the  sun  did  set,  they  brought  unto  him  all  that  were 
sick,  and  them  that  were  possessed  with  devils.  And  all  the  city  was 
gathered  together  at  the  door.  And  he  healed  many  that  were  sick  with 
divers  diseases,  and  tast  out  many  devils.  .  .  .  And  in"  the  morning,  a 
great  while  before  day,  he  rose  up  and  went  out,  and  departed  into  a  desert 
place,  and  there  prayed.  .  .  .  And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  the 
villages,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness." 


«*THE   IMITATION   OF   CHRIST" 

"Should  we  not  seek  to  imitate  the  Lord's  method,  even  though  the  re- 
sult be  but  a  very  feeble  copy  of  the  great  original  ?  What  is  it  that  we 
have  to  impart?  Let  us  be  definite  with  ourselves.  Is  it  some  new  dogma? 
a  system  of  doctrine  from  the  West  ?  If  so,  by  all  means  leave  the  religious 
element  in  the  hands  of  the  evangelist  ;  he  will  expound  your  doctrines 
better  than  you  can.  But  we  reject  such  an  idea.  The  Chinese  already 
have  more  than  enough  of  mere  empty  doctrine.  What  we  bring  them  is 
no  lifeless  form,  but  a  living,  personal  Saviour,  whom  it  is  our  privilege  to 
represent  to  the  Chinese  ;  and  this  glorious  privilege  of  representing  our 
Saviour  King  and  witnessing  for  Him,  we  dare  not  commit  to  any  second 

larty." — From   Dr.   Mackenzie's   editorial  in  the    Medical  Missionary 

ournal,  written  shortly  before  his  death. 


I 


CHRONOLOGICAL    LIST    OF    EVENTS    IN 
MACKENZIE'S    LIFE 

1850.     Born  in  Yarmouth,  Norfolk,  England,  August  25. 

1867.  First  strong  religious  impression  from  Mr.  Moody's  address,  May  10. 

1868.  Decides  to  follow  Christ,  May  10. 

1870.     Enters  Bristol  Medical  School  to  prepare  for  his  medical  mission, 
October. 

1874.  At  London  receives  the  diploma  of   M.R.C.S.,  — Member  of  the 

Royal  College  of  Surgeons,— and  at  Edinburgh  that  of  L.   R. 
C.  P.,  —  Licentiate  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians. 
Accepted  for  China  by  the  London  Missionary  Society,  December  15. 

1875.  Works  in  Moody's  evangeUstic  meetings,  March. 
Sails  for  China,  April  10. 

Reaches  Hankow,  China,  June  8. 
1877.     Marries  Miss  Travers  in  Shanghai,  January  9. 

1879.  Reaches    Tientsin,  — having    been    transferred    from   Hankow,— 

March  13. 
Hospital  memorial  presented  to  Viceroy  Li  Hung-chang,  May. 
Viceroy  Li  invites  Mackenzie  to  attend  his  wife,  August  i. 
The  Viceroy's  temporary  "  Free  Hospital  "  opened. 

1880.  The  permanent  hospital  of  the  Viceroy  opened,  December  2. 
i88i.     Mackenzie's  wife  and  daughter  return  to  England,  March. 

China's  first  Medical  .School  opened,  Dec.  15. 

1882.  Wife  and  daughter  return  to  China,  November.     Mrs.  Mackenzie 

again  invalided  home,  her  husband  accompanying  her,  December 
7. 

1883.  Spends  a  few  months  in  England  and  on  the  Continent,  February 

i8-July  31. 

1884.  First  six  students  graduate  from  the  Medical  School,  October. 

1885.  Emperor  confers  upon  Dr.  Mackenzie  "  The  Star  of  the  Order  of 

the  Double  Dragon.'' 
Coming  to  Tientsin  of  the  Cambridge  Band  and  accompanying  re- 
vival, April. 

1886.  "Medical   Missionary   Association  of  China"  formed,  Mackenzie 

being  one   of  the  prime   movers   and   an  editor  of  its   journal, 
Autumn. 
1888.     Dr.  Mackenzie  dies  after  a  six  days'  illness,  April  i. 


II 

JOHN   KENNETH   MACKENZIE 

^'The  Beloved  Physician" 

On  August  25,  1850,  an  infant  opened  its  eyes  Early  Home, 
in  the  fen-begirt  town  of  Yarmouth,  England, 
who  was  destined  to  become  one  of  the  princely 
physicians  of  a  great  Empire.  From  this  place, 
so  much  resembling  the  Tientsin  plain,  —  in 
which  he  should  close  his  labors,  —  in  its  absence 
of  rising  ground  and  the  presence  of  straggling 
willows  and  abundant  harvests  of  reeds,  Mac- 
kenzie's parents  removed  to  Bristol,  before  he 
had  any  consciousness  of  Yarmouth's  quaint 
"rows"  or  interesting  traditions.  Most  of  his 
life  was  spent  in  this  city  that  "seems  to  swim 
on  the  waters."  It  is  the  port  whence  Sebastian 
Cabot  sailed  forth  to  be  the  first  Enghshrian  to 
land  in  America  and  to  discover  the  United 
States;  and  to  it  was  brought  later  from  Juan 
Fernandez  the  real  Robinson  Crusoe.  Here,  too, 
the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation  were  preached 
by  Tyndale,  Cranmer,  and  Latimer,  —  and  here, 
alas!  the  peaceful  Quakers  suffered  persecution, 
103  of  them  being  in  Bristol  prisons  at  the  acces- 
.'iion  of  Charles  11. 

47 


48  Princely  Men 

Mackenzie's  Providence  blessed  Mackenzie's  boyhood  with 
Parents.  ^  North  of  Scotland  father  of  strong  Presbyte- 
rian instincts,  as  became  an  elder  in  that  Church, 
while  his  mother  was  a  Welsh  lady  from  Brecon- 
shire.  Mrs.  Bryson,  the  wife  of  his  Tientsin  col- 
league, remarks  that  "to  his  Highland  blood  he 
doubtless  owed  a  certain  reticence  of  manner, 
combined  with  an  intensity  of  feehng,  which  in 
a  marked  degree  characterized  his  likes  and  dis- 
likes." To  his  mother,  perhaps,  may  be  attrib- 
uted the  strain  which  gave  to  him  that  unusual 
facility  in  language  acquisition  which  marks  most 
Welsh  missionaries.  While  their  influence  was 
helpful,  Kenneth  was  not  a  model  in  all  respects. 
He  had  a  hasty  temper  and  disliked  study  more 
than  do  most  boys,  who  are  fond  of  outdoor  sports. 
Not  until  his  fifteenth  year,  when  he  entered  a 
merchant's  office  as  clerk,  did  he  appreciate  op- 
portunities for  study;  but  from  that  time  he  used 
his  spare  time  for  reading. 
His      The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was 

Conversion.  £^j.  j^-^^^  what  it  has  been  to  so  many  other  young 
men,  the  awakener  of  the  spiritual  hfe  and  an 
excellent  training  school  for  Christian  service. 
On  a  May  Sunday  in  1867,  after  an  impressive 
discussion  of  the  Bible  class  topic  for  the  day, 
"A  Good  Conscience,"  Mr.  Moody  spoke  to  the 
men,  and  the  first  strong  spiritual  impression  of 
his  hfe  was  received.  Not  until  the  anniversary 
of.  that  day,  however,  was  he  led  to  give  liimself 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  49 

unreservedly  to  God  and  to  His  service.     The 

warmth  of  those  early  years  of  discipleship  were 

prophetic  of  the  rare  spirituahty  and  delight  in 

evangelistic  effort  of  every  sort,  which  marked 

his  labors  as  a  missionary. 

He  did  not  come  to  this  life  of  devotion  to  Preparing  for 

others  without    much  self- crucifixion,  as  well  as  ^^^^'^^'^^ 

Work, 
through   a   course    of   preparation   for  it.     The 

prayer-meeting,  held  by  him  and  three  compan- 
ions on  a  hilltop  as  they  returned  from  the  Asso- 
ciation after  they  had  witnessed  a  good  confes- 
sion, was  a  fundamental  method  of  gaining  essen- 
tial equipment  for  spiritual  service.  More  unique 
was  a  preparatory  school,  held  by  a  little  group 
of  congenial  workers  in  a  cow- shed,  two  miles 
out  of  town.  It  meant  self-denial  for  this  band 
of  young  men  to  go  there  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  to  discuss  and  criticise  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses which  they  had  carefully  prepared,  and 
which  they  subsequently  used  at  Association  and 
street  services,  or  at  theater  meetings.  Note- 
books of  Mackenzie's  are  filled  with  illustrations, 
which  he  had  jotted  down  to  serve  as  feathers 
for  evangelistic  arrows.  His  leisure  time  was 
occupied  with  preparation  for  meetings  and  active 
participation  in  open  air  services,  lodging-house 
visitation,  ragged-school  teaching,  and  the  deli- 
cate and  almost  dangerous  work  of  the  INIidnight 
Mission.  Desperate  thieves  and  shameless  women 
found  in  him  one  who  sought  them  out  and  con- 


50  Princely  Men 

sorted  with  them,  as  did  another  young  man 
centuries  before,  the  Savior  cf  thieves  and  the 
friend  of  pubhcans  and  sinners. 
Two  One  of  Mackenzie's  staunchest  friends  was 
Biographies  Colonel  Duncan,  with  whom  he  was  associated 
Decision  ^^  niuch  of  his  religious  work.  He  had  been 
greatly  moved  by  the  memoirs  of  two  Chinese 
missionaries,  William  Burns  and  Dr.  Henderson, 
and  he  had  been  led  to  desire  for  himself  a  simi- 
lar life.  Returning  one  night  from  a  theater 
meeting  of  unusual  interest,  he  confided  to  Col- 
onel Duncan  his  new  desire.  The  Colonel's  re- 
sponse, ''You  are  still  very  young;  would  it  not 
be  well  to  go  in  for  the  study  of  medicine  and  in 
the  course  of  time  go  out  to  China  as  a  medical 
missionary?"  was  to  Mackenzie  the  voice  of  God. 
Not  understanding  very  clearly  the  nature  of  the 
work,  however,  he  sought  for  further  light,  and 
after  reading  Mrs.  Gordon's  "The  Double  Cure: 
or.  What  is  a  Medical  Mission?"  his  duty  seemed 
to  be  perfectly  plain. 
Overcoming  When  he  sought  to  gain  his  parents'  consent  to 
Difficulties.  \fQ  allowed  to  give  up  business  and  enter  a  medi- 
cal school  to  prepare  for  China,  the  young  man 
met  a  most  serious  obstacle.  Argument  did  not 
change  their  position,  and  hence  Mackenzie  was 
forced  to  look  up.  A  triumvirate  of  friends 
mighty  in  prayer.  Colonel  Duncan,  Mrs.  Gor- 
don's husband,  and  a  Bristol  surgeon,  Dr.  Steele, 
joined  him  in  definitely  pleading  with  God  for  a 


John  Kenneth   Mackenzie  51 

change  of  mind  on  the  parents'  part.  This  com- 
pact wrought  two  valuable  results:  it  led  his  father 
and  mother  to  withdraw  their  objections  on  the 
very  night  that  it  went  into  effect;  and  it  was  a 
proof  to  him  ever  after,  that  united  prayer  for  a 
desired  object  would  bring  an  answer,  if  it  was 
according  to  the  will  of  God.  It  was  the  war- 
rant for  a  conviction  which  Dr.  Mackenzie  ex- 
pressed near  the  close  of  his  Hfe  in  these  words: 
"I  do  indeed  believe  in  prayer.  I  am  forced  to 
believe  in  it,  and  say,  from  practical  experience, 
I  am  sure  that  God  does  hear  and  answer  our 
prayers." 

The  four  years  following  October,  1870,  were  Student  Life. 
spent  in  the  diligent  study  of  medicine  at  the 
Bristol  Medical  School,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
period  he  very  successfully  passed  examination 
both  at  London  and  Edinburgh,  at  which  places 
he  received  respectively  the  diploma  of  M.R.C.S. 
and  L.R.C.P.     Realizing  the  prevalence  of  eye- 
diseases  in  his  chosen  field,  he  afterward  took 
work  at  the  Royal  Ophthalmic  Hospital  in  Lon- 
don.    Meanwhile  he  had  been  looking  about  for 
advice  as  to  the  next  step.     Dr.  Lowe  of  the  Ed- 
inburgh  Medical  Missionary  Society  gave  him 
especially  helpful  counsel;  and  China's  mission- 
ary Nestor,  Griffith  John,  as  well  as  Messrs.  Bry- 
son  and  Cullen  of  the  same  Empire,  finally  de- 
termined him  to  apply  to  the  London  Missionary 
Society. 


52  Princely  Men 

Enl/sfs  and  Though  a  Presbyterian,  he  wilHngly  enlisted  in 
Sa//s.  ^^  organization  which  is  still  largely  interdenomi- 
national, and  which  has  behind  it  so  noteworthy 
a  history.  Other  appointments  allured  him  only 
momentarily,  and  his  natural  impetuosity  drove 
him  hastily  on.  The  necessary  carefulness  of  the 
Society  to  which  he  had  offered  himself  and  the 
consequent  delay  nearly  caused  a  cessation  of 
negotiations,  but  finally  he  was  accepted.  And 
now  he  must  be  off.  ■  Sailing  so  as  to  arrive  in 
the  heat  of  a  China  summer  and  leaving  his 
betrothed  behind  to  follow  him  when  he  should 
have  gotten  into  his  new  work,  he  reached  Shang- 
hai on  June  4,  1875.  He  did  not  leave  dear  old 
England  without  being  first  moved  by  the  strong 
spiritual  life  of  a  Httle  group  of  men  at  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge,  and  by  a  final  interview  with 
Mr.  Moody.  Life  on  shipboard  was  a  delight 
and  an  opportunity.  He  read,  he  entered  into 
the  social  life  of  the  ship,  he  alternately  listened 
to  the  stirring  yarns  of  the  sailors  and  recipro- 
cated with  most  affectionate  heart  talks,  and  he 
preached  occasionally. 
Mackenzie's  Mackenzie  was  not  a  pioneer  in  his  depart- 
Forerunners.  ^lent,  as  was  Morrison.  We  have  already  seen 
that  the  latter  had  enlisted  the  good  offices  of 
the  East  India  Company's  physician  in  the  medi- 
cal missionary  enterprise  and  had  carried  on  a 
still  larger  work  through  a  native  practitioner. 
But  it  was  Peter  Parker  of  America  who  had  the 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  ^^ 

honor  of  "opening  China  to  the  Gospel  at  the 
point  of  a  lancet."  He  had  been  followed  by  a 
number  of  others  in  the  Empire,  one  of  whom, 
Dr.  Henderson,  had  so  interested  Mackenzie  at 
the  beginning  of  his  missionary  investigations. 
Yet  thus  far  no  one  had  won  for  the  cause  strong 
official  endorsement,  which  was  very  desirable  in 
a  country  where  foreign  doctors  are  acknowledged 
to  be  superior  to  native  practitioners  mainly  be- 
cause of  their  rumored  use  of  medicines  made  of 
good  Chinese  eyes  and  hearts.  Dr.  Mackenzie 
was  to  do  more  than  any  other  man  toward  de- 
mohshing  this  foolish  belief. 

And  surely  Western  medicine  was  sorely  needed  Medicine 
in  this  most  populous  empire  of  the  world.  Of  ^^®^^^- 
physicians  there  was  no  lack;  indeed,  any  scholar 
who  could  read  the  voluminous  medical  litera- 
ture and  who  had  been  unable  to  secure  a  more 
desirable  position,  was  thereby  created  an  ^Escu- 
lapius.  But  what  did  he  know  and  how  did  he 
practice?  China  was  no  worse  than  many  other 
enlightened  nations  of  antiquity;  for  in  Greece, 
"the  mother- land  of  rational  medicine,"  the  "tem- 
ple sleep"  and  its  dreams  were  the  basis  of  pre- 
scriptions; and  even  Hippocrates  and  Galen  held 
views  about  the  elements  and  the  moon  that  are 
not  outdone  by  their  Chinese  brothers  of  to-day. 
This  is  what  Dr.  Mackenzie  says  of  his  native 
confreres:  "Chinese  doctors  profess  to  be  able  to 
diagnose  disease  by  the  state  of  the  pulse  only. 


54  Princely    Men 

Their  knowledge  of  anatomy  and  physiology  is 
almost  nil;  yet  in  the  place  of  exact  knowledge, 
they  substitute  the  most  absurd  theories.  The 
nature  of  disease  being  unknown,  they  attribute 
to  the  influence  of  the  '  five  elements'  the  onset 
of  disease.  To  a  large  extent  the  physiological 
action  of  drugs  is  unknown,  and  most  wonder- 
ful healing  properties  are  attributed  to  such  sub- 
stances as  dragons'  teeth,  fossils,  tiger  bones, 
pearls,  etc. 
^  Pro-      ''A  Chinese  doctor  examines  the  pulse  of  each 

fessional  ^^Y\?>t  of  his  patient  with  much  solemnity,  the  sick 
Visit  ,    1        1  .  .  ,  . 

person  s  hand  restmg  meantime  upon  a  cushion, 

while  the  friends  stand  round  watching  the  opera- 
tion with  much  awe.  The  tongue  is  then  exam- 
ined and  a  prescription  written  out.  The  doctor 
then  departs,  after  giving  his  diagnosis  and  going 
into  long  explanations  of  what  is  taking  place  in 
his  patient's  interior.  Many  of  the  Chinese  won- 
der much  that  foreign  physicians  should  make  so 
many  inquiries  of  their  patients;  they  think  that 
they  should  be  able  to  find  out  all  about  such 
matters  from  the  condition  of  the  pulse. 
Medical  "Superstitious  notions  and  practices  control 
Super-  g^j^^j  pervert  medicine.  In  almost  every  case  of 
sickness,  idols,  astrologers,  and  fortune-tellers  are 
consulted.  Disease  is  generally  attributed  to  the 
«•  anger  of  the  gods,  or  to  a  visitation  of  evil  spirits ; 

the  priests,  indeed,  teach  this  for  their  own  ends. 
Charms  are  in  general  use  to  expel  evil  spirits 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  ^^ 

and  pacify  offended  gods,  and  many  idolatrous 
rites  are  employed.     The  noise  of  gongs  and  fire- 
crackers, used  in  these  observances,  is  constantly 
heard  and  of  necessity  proves  very  injurious  to  a 
patient  whose  nervous  system  is  weakened  by  dis- 
ease.    The  charms  are  written  out  and  pasted 
about  the  sick-room.     Sometimes  these  marvel- 
ous pieces  of  paper  are  burned  and  the  ashes 
used  to  make  a  decoction,  which  the  patient  is 
ordered  to  drink.     It  is  not  wonderful,  therefore, 
that,  medical  science  being  in  so  unsatisfactory 
a  state  in  China,  the  cures  wrought  by  foreign 
doctors  seem  to  the  people  httle  short  of  miracu- 
lous; and  in  many  cases  the  difficulty  is  not  to 
get  the  people  to  beheve  in  the  foreign  medical 
man,   but    rather   for   them   to   understand   that 
there   is   a  limit    to    his    heahng   power."     This 
is  especially  true  of  surgical  cases;   since  native 
practitioners    confine     their    surgery    to    remov- 
ing a  tooth,   puncturing  sores   and  tumors,  at- 
tempting to  reduce    dislocations,   and   reuniting 
fractures. 

Mackenzie's  destination  was  Hankow,  a  great  Beginning  at 
port  almost  in  the  geographical  center  of  the  Em-  ^^^f^f^ow. 
pire  and  located  at  the  confluence  of  China's 
girdle,  the  Yang-tzu,  and  the  Han  River,  so  fa- 
mous in  history  that  it  and  the  dynasty  of  the 
same  name  furnish  one  of  the  proudest  designa- 
tions of  the  Chinese  to-day,  "men  of  Han."  A 
royal  welcome  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  and  Mr. 


56  Princely  Men 

Foster  awaited  the  Doctor  as  he  stepped  from  the 
gang-plank  at  Hankow,  and  almost  immediately 
he  is  at  work.  His  first  Sunday  morning  there 
was  spent  in  the  city  chapel,  endeavoring  to  catch 
a  few  words  and  wondering  whether  he  could 
possibly  acquire  so  complicated  a  language,  with 
its  accompanying  tones.  In  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day  he  was  once  more  in  his  element ; 
for  among  the  thousands  of  native  craft  on  the 
broad  bosom  of  the  Yang-tzu  were  some  foreign 
tea-steamers,  and  here  was  his  opportunity  for 
evangehstic  effort  in  his  own  tongue.  From  that 
time  onward,  both  here  and  later  at  Tientsin, 
work  for  sailors  was  his  avocation. 
Language  The  following  afternoon  he  was  closeted  with 
Study.  ^  language  teacher  for  his  first  Chinese  lesson. 
"We  sit  down  together  with  the  same  book," 
writes  Mackenzie.  "He  calls  over  a  word  and  I 
^  try  to  imitate  him;  my  mouth  is  twisted  into  all 
sorts  of  shapes,  and  I  struggle  on.  The  idea  is 
first  to  get  the  proper  sound,  the  meaning  after- 
ward, and  then  —  probably  the  most  difficult  — 
to  learn  the  characters.  We  go  on  for  about 
three  hours,  until  I  am  tired  of  repeating  sounds 
after  him."  The  Doctor's  native  abihty  and  his 
desire  to  master  the  language  enabled  him  to 
gain  an  unusual  command  of  Chinese,  an  ac- 
complishment that  many  physicians  can  not  boast 
of,  since  they  become  so  early  burdened  with  pro- 
fessional duties. 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  ry 

Medical  work  had  already  been  begun  at  his  Mackenzie's 
station,  so  that  Dr.  Mackenzie  built  on  excellent  ^PP''^"*'^^' 
foundations,  having  at  his  command  convenient 
premises  and  the  prestige  already  won  by  West- 
ern medicine.  As  the  hospital  had  been  built 
partly  by  the  foreign  community,  it  had  accom- 
modations for  them,  and  so  does  not  need  to  be 
described,  as  it  was  not  wholly  indigenous.  Yet 
the  people  needed  to  be  understood  in  order  to 
be  reached,  and  this  study  was  a  most  fascinat- 
ing one.  Under  the  guidance  of  Griffith  John  or 
another  of  his  colleagues,  he  watched  the  bus- 
tling crowd  in  streets  so  narrow  that  the  widest 
of  them  could  not  accommodate  more  than  four 
or  five  people  standing  abreast.  Their  customs 
and  feasts,  their  temples  and  the  gruesome  Bud- 
dhist representations  of  hell  which  they  contained, 
were  intensely  interesting  to  the  Doctor.  As  he 
came  to  know  the  people  better,  they  learned  to 
admire  him  more;  and  owing  to  some  successful 
surgical  operations,  his  fame  soon  traveled  far 
and  wide,  his  practice  proportionately  increasing. 

No  one  in  China,  unless  it  were  the  late  Dr.  Learning 

Nevius,  could  better  have  initiated  Dr.  Macken-  ^^^  ^^ 

Pre  ac/i 
7AQ  into  evangehstic  work,  than  did  Griffith  John. 

As  often  as  he  could  do  so,  the  Doctor  attended 
his  chapel.  He  thus  describes  this  work  in  Han- 
kow: "Very  frequently  a  shop  in  the  middle  of 
a  crowded  street  is  rented  and  fitted  up  with 
benches  as  a  'Glad  Tidings  Hall,'  where  the  for- 


58  Princely   Men 

eign  missionary  and  his  native  assistant  for  many 
hours  every  day  proclaim  the  way  of  salvation 
through  Jesus  to  those  who  come  into  the  build- 
ing. No  regular  service  is  held,  but  as  the  coohes 
resting  from  their  burdens,  the  countryman  with 
his  basket  by  his  side,  or  the  pedler  with  his  case 
of  cord  and  tapes,  come  in  for  awhile,  the  preacher 
in  colloquial  fashion  addresses  questions  to  indi- 
viduals and  tries  by  patient  repetition  to  implant 
in  his  hearers'  minds  some  ideas  about  the  love 
of  God  as  manifested  in  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 
This  new  '  doctrine,'  as  they  call  it,  is  very  novel 
and  strangely  unHke  anything  the  hearers  have 
ever  listened  to  before.  It  is  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  they  grasp  any  thoughts  relating  to  the 
unseen  and  eternal.  .  .  .  Mr.  John  spoke  in  the 
chapel  for  about  two  hours.  It  was  half  an  hour 
before  he  could  get  one  idea  thoroughly  home  to 
the  people,  showing,  it  seems  to  me,  how  useless 
are  ordinary  sermons  to  teach  these  people.  Wan- 
dering through  the  country  and  simply  preaching 
is  pure  waste  of  time,  I  think.  Men  must  settle 
down  to  patient,  persevering  w^ork;  and  if  ac- 
companied by  the  Spirit  of  God,  one  may  expect 
to  see  great  results  from  it.  Mr.  John  has  anx- 
ious inquirers  at  the  end  of  these  patient,  hard- 
working services,  which  greatly  cheer  his  heart." 
Mackenzie  It  was  the  Doctor's  delight  to  get  out  among 
the  people,  and  with  Griffith  John,  who  knew  no 
fear,  even  the  most  dangerous  trips  were  enjoyed. 


Afield. 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  59 

On  one  occasion;  however,  he  would  have  been 
glad  to  be  at  home.  The  two  men  went  into  a 
new  section  to  aid  a  native  Christian,  named  Wei. 
He  had  been  so  earnest  in  preaching  the  truth, 
that  hostility  to  Christianity  had  arisen  with  the 
result  that  the  rabble  proceeded  to  drive  out  the 
foreign  devils.  A  paragraph  from  the  Doctor's 
description  of  the  attack  gives  one  an  idea  of 
what  a  Chinese  mob  is  like.  "Presently  pelting 
began.  There  were,  fortunately,  no  stones  at 
hand;  but  the  earth  being  dry,  the  plowed  fields 
were  covered  with  hard  clods,  and  these  soon  be- 
gan to  fly  about  our  heads.  At  this  stage  I  took 
off  my  spectacles  and  pulled  my  soft  felt  hat  well 
over  my  ears,  which  protected  me  a  good  deal. 
Mr.  John  was  struck  on  the  mouth  with  a  hard 
lump  of  clay,  which  made  the  blood  flow  freely 
and  almost  caused  him  to  faint;  and  soon  after 
another  piece  cut  his  scalp  at  the  back  of  the 
head.  I  guarded  my  face  with  my  arms,  my  hat 
well  protected  my  head,  and  I  received  most  of 
the  blows  about  my  head  and  body.  We  still 
went  on,  following  Wei,  who  walked  like  a  prince, 
calm  and  fearless  with  his  head  up,  just  his  nat- 
ural self  and  apparently  not  a  bit  troubled.  .  .  . 
At  this  time  we  might  have  been  killed  at  any 
moment;  for  we  were  the  center  of  a  howhng, 
infuriated  mob  of  about  one  thousand  men  and 
boys  bent  on  mischief  and  dragging  us  about  in 
every  direction.     We  were   several    times    sepa- 


6o  Princely  Men 

rated.  I  was  pushed  down  once,  but  Mr.  John 
and  the  native  Christians  kept  the  crowd  off  me." 
They  finally  succeeded  in  escaping  from  the  mob, 
and  soon  reached  a  place,  of  safety.  During  this 
encounter  neither  they  nor  the  Christians  used 
any  force,  and  Mackenzie  could  testify:  "I  felt 
perfectly  calm.  No  feeling  of  anger  entered  my 
mind;  Christ  was  a  very  precious  companion 
then." 
The  Outcome.  The  two  missionaries  felt  that  for  the  sake  of 
the  native  Christians  they  must  complain  of  the 
action  of  the  Hiau-kan  rabble,  and  this  enabled 
them  to  return  to  the  place  and  show  their  for- 
giving spirit  and  their  desire  to  benefit  the  people. 
As  an  ultimate  result,  there  were  in  connection 
with  the  Hiau-kan  station  just  before  the  Boxer 
Uprising  three  foreign  missionaries  laboring  there, 
one  being  a  physician  having  in  his  charge  a  hos- 
pital and  leper  asylum.  A  force  of  eleven  native 
helpers  were  co-operating  with  the  missionaries 
at  Hiau-kan  and  its  two  out-stations. 
'  Higher  During  his  Hankow  apprenticeship  Mackenzie 
Lessons,  learned  also  of  God  Himself.  The  deepening  of 
his  spiritual  life  was  aided  by  fellowship  with 
helpful  friends,  by  special  meetings  held  for  that 
purpose,  and  by  unceasing  efforts  to  save  others. 
On  one  steamer  the  meetings  held  resulted  in 
the  conversion  of  about  fourteen  men.  As  for 
his  inner  life,  he  says:  ''I  have  been  thinking  and 
praying  about  a  more  complete  trust  in  Jesus.     I 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  6i 

am  weary  with  struggling  against  temptation  and 
feel  very  many  failures  are  caused  by  my  trying 
to  do  these  things  with  God."  And  later  he 
adds:  "I  have  placed  myself  and  all  my  concerns 
in  His  hands,  looking  to  Him  for  dehverance 
from  temptations.  I  have  been  so  happy  to-day 
in  simply  looking  up.  May  my  faith  fail  not! 
I  feel  so  helpless  and  weak  and  yet  so  safe.  The 
hfe  of  simple  trust  in  Jesus  is  so  delightful  — 
such  perfect  safety!"  Later,  meetings  for  the 
foreigners  and  native  Christians  resulted  in  even 
greater  blessing. 

Having  learned  much  of  the  language  and  got-  Mackenzie's 
ten  his  medical  work  under  way,  the  Doctor  fek  Marriage. 
that  he  was  justified  in  having  his  fiancee  come 
out  to  China.     She  did  so,  and  they  were  mar- 
ried January  9,   1877,  at  Shanghai.     The  early 
years  of  their  married  life  were  ideal.     Home  was 
a  perpetual  joy  to  the  Doctor  and  a  haven  of  rest 
from  the  weariness  and  worries  of  a  life  in  which 
a  single  physician  with  no  adequate  assistance 
was  obliged  to  take  charge  of  the  most  difficult 
cases.     His  wife  was  a  direct  aid  to  him  in  his 
work  both  here  and  at  his  later  home;  for  he 
makes  repeated  references  to  her  prayers  as  be- 
ing united  with  his  own  for  the  successful  issue 
of  difficult  operations,  and  the  two  labored  to- 
gether for  foreign  sailors  and  marines.     In  Han- 
kow, too,  their  only  child  was  born.     His  work 
was  likewise  growing,  especially  on  the  surgical 


62  Princely  Men 

side,  —  a  work  of  which  he  writes,  "I*  am  pas- 
sionately fond  of  surgery  and  never  happier  than 
when  I  am  about  to  undertake  some  big  opera- 
tion." 
Transferred  Yet  here,  also,  he  experienced  trials.  He  had 
to  Tientsin,  j^^gj^  attacked  once  and  again  by  malaria;  his 
wife's  health  was  a  source  of  sohcitude;  and  fin- 
ally, after  three  and  a  half  years  of  most  fruitful 
service,  family  complications  and  personal  mat- 
ters caused  the  Doctor  to  request  the  Society  to 
transfer  him  to  another  station.  It  was  charac- 
teristic of  him  that  he  should  ask  to  be  sent  into 
the  far  interior  of  China's  greatest  western  prov- 
ince; but  the  perils  of  such  a  place  for  Mrs. 
Mackenzie  led  the  Directors  to  send  him  instead 
to  Tientsin,  the  steamer  port  of  Peking,  which  is 
eighty-three  miles  to  the  northwest. 
A  New  Wholly  different  from  the  majestic  Son  of  the 
Beginning.  Q^^^in  upon  which  Hankow  lies  was  the  narrow 
and  sinuous  Pei  Ho,  or  North  River,  on  whose 
muddy  banks  Mackenzie  was  henceforth  to  live 
and  achieve  a  national,  instead  of  a  provincial, 
reputation.  Though  he  already  had  an  excellent 
command  of  Chinese,  the  variations  of  the  North- 
ern Mandarin  over  the  speech  of  Central  China 
gave  him  a  new  task,  especially  in  adjusting  him- 
self to  the  changed  tones.  A  more  serious  diffi- 
culty, however,  was  the  lack  of  a  suitable  plant 
for  his  work  and  the  greater  indifference  to  Chris- 
tianity and  to  the  benefits  of  Western  medicine. 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  63 

As  there  seemed  to  be  no  human  method  of  over- 
coming this  apathy,  and  as  Mackenzie  felt  that 
there  was  a  loss  of  power  in  leaving  a  city  in 
which  he  had  had  as  many  as  1,137  hospital  and 
11,859  o^t  patients  in  a  single  year  to  come  to  a 
station  where  he  had  only  about  one-fifth  as 
many,  he  and  his  colleagues  had  recourse  to 
prayer.  This  was  not  a  spasmodic  and  formal 
exercise;  but  unitedly  both  the  foreigners  and 
native  Christians  of  the  station  prayed,  continu- 
ing their  supplications  for  weeks.  As  an  offset 
to  this  comparative  cessation  from  practice,  he 
gave  himself  anew  to  language  study,  including 
much  work  on  the  Classics,  and  a  re-reading  of 
William  B urns' s  incomparable  colloquial  render- 
ing of  Bunyan's  immortal  allegory. 

Mackenzie  and  one  of  his  colleagues,  Mr.  Prayer 
Lees,  had  drawn  up  a  memorial  and  presented  ^"^^^'^^  ■ 
it  to  the  famous  Viceroy  Li  Hung-chang,  who 
was  for  years  the  virtual  ruler  of  the  Empire. 
From  the  middle  of  May  until  the  first  day  of 
August  prayer  was  unceasing  that  the  Viceroy 
might  realize  the  value  of  Western  medicine  and 
endorse  Mackenzie's  plan  for  a  hospital.  At  the 
weekly  prayer-meeting  on  that  momentous  Aug- 
ust evening  the  subject  was  our  Lord's  words, 
"Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you,"  and  once  more 
the  little  church  pleaded  with  God  for  an  answer 
to  the  memorial.  In  the  evening  a  member  of 
the  English  Legation,  who  was  calHng  on  the 


64  Princely  Men 

Viceroy,  noted  an  unusual  sadness  and  learned 
that  his  wife  was  dying.  The  visitor  suggested 
that  foreign  physicians  be  called  in,  and  after 
much  urging  he  sent  for  Mackenzie  and  a  com- 
munity physician.  Dr.  Irwin.  The  summons 
came  just  as  the  prayer-meeting  was  breaking 
up,  and  here  was  the  long  delayed  answer  to 
their  petitions.  The  two  physicians,  assisted  later 
by  Miss  Dr.  Howard  from  Peking,  were  used  to 
bring  the  patient  back  to  health.  Even  more 
important  was  the  issue  of  that  cure;  for  it  had 
given  Western  medicine  an  advertisement  which 
nothing  short  of  an  Imperial  endorsement  could 
have  equaled,  and  it  led  the  Viceroy  to  person- 
ally investigate  Occidental  methods  of  surgery 
and  to  appreciate  the  value  of  foreign  medicines. 
The  result  was  the  establishment  of  a  hospital 
and  dispensary,  which  were  carried  on  with  Li 
Hung-chang's  sanction  and  with  money  contrib- 
uted by  him  and  other  wealthy  Chinese.  This 
in  turn  was  the  entering  wedge  that  opened  to 
the  army  and  navy  the  blessings  of  modern  medi- 
cine. 
Mackenzie's  The  building  which  "God  gave  to  us"  is  thus 
Hospital,  described  by  Dr.  Mackenzie:  ''It  is  erected  in 
the  best  style  of  Chinese  architecture  and  has  an 
extremely  picturesque  and  attractive  appearance. 
The  front  building,  standing  in  its  own  court- 
yard, is  ascended  by  broad  stone  steps,  which 
lead  from  a  covered  gateway  to  a  verandah  with 


John  Kenneth  Mackenzie  65 

massive  wooden  pillars  running  along  its  whole 
length.  A  hall  divides  it  into  two  portions.  On 
ihe  right  side  and  in  front  is  a  spacious  dispen- 
sary, which,  thanks  to  the  liberahty  of  the  Vice- 
roy, is  wanting  in  nothing,  rivaHng  any  EngHsh 
dispensary  in  the  abundance  and  variety  of  the 
drugs,  apphances,  etc.;  behind  this  is  a  roomy 
drug-store.  On  the  left  of  the  hall  is  a  large 
waiting-room  with  benches  for  the  convenience 
of  patients,  and  used  on  Sundays  and  other  days 
as  a  preaching  hall.  Behind  and  to  one  side  is 
the  Chinese  reception-room,  always  to  be  found 
in  a  native  building.  The  rooms  are  very  lofty, 
without  ceihngs,  leaving  exposed  the  huge,  painted  « 

beams,  many  times  larger  than  foreigners  deem 
necessary,  but  the  pride  of  the  Chinese  builder. 
Running  off  in  two  parallel  wings  at  the  back 
are  the  surgery  and  the  wards,  the  latter  able  to 
accommodate  thirty-six  patients.  The  wards  in 
the  right  wing,  four  in  number,  are  small,  in- 
tended each  to  receive  only  three  patients.  Here 
we  can  isolate  dangerous  cases,  and  also  receive 
persons,  such  as  officials  and  others,  who  require 
greater  privacy.  The  wards  are  all  furnished  with 
kangs  instead  of  beds,  as  is  the  custom  in  North 
China.  They  are  built  of  bricks,  with  flues  run- 
ning underneath,  so  that  in  winter  they  can  be 
heated;  the  bedding  is  spread  out  over  the  bricks." 

The  breadth  and  depth  of  Mackenzie's   Hfe  Mis  Time 
and  activities  may  be  judged  from  the  following    ^   ^' 


66  Princely   Men 

account  which  he  gives  of  his  daily  and  weekly 
program.  "My  hour  to  rise  in  the  morning  is 
half  past  six  for  winter;  breakfast  at  a  quarter 
to  eight.  At  a  quarter  past  eight  I  conduct  a 
sort  of  Bible  class  in  the  hospital  among  the  pa- 
tients —  those  who  are  able  to  come  —  and  the 
dispensers  and  servants.  This  lasts  for  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  and  is,  of  course,  in  Chinese. 
From  half  past  nine  till  eleven  o'clock  I  study 
Chinese;  at  eleven  o'clock  dispensary  work  be- 
gins, and  here  and  in  the  hospital  I  spend  two 
hours,  until  one  o'clock.  At  one  I  take  dinner; 
at  two  prepare  my  medical  class  work;  at  three 
I  take  the  senior  class  in  the  medical  school  in 
medicine  or  surgery;  at  four  or  half  past  four  I 
am  free,  and  I  try  to  get  away  for  a  walk;  but 
there  is  constantly  something  coming  up  to  be 
attended  to  —  perhaps  an  operation,  or  a  Chi- 
nese letter  to  answer,  or  some  case  of  discipline 
in  the  Medical  School  to  be  dealt  with.  On 
Tuesday  evenings  at  seven  we  have  a  Chinese 
prayer-meeting,  with  a  review  of  the  week's  work 
in  the  Bible;  this  I  conduct.  On  Monday  eve- 
ning we  have  a  Mission  prayer-meeting,  when 
we  all  meet  for  consultation  and  prayer.  On 
Wednesday  evening  there  is  the  Union  Church 
prayer-meeting,, which  is  practically  a  united  mis- 
sionary prayer-meeting,  and  which  I  always  at- 
tend. Sunday  is  also  a  very  busy  day.  Sunday- 
school  class  at  half  past  nine;  Chinese  service  at 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  67 

half  past  ten;  medical  school  Bible  class  at  three- 
evening  service  at  six;  meeting  for  Blue-jackets' 
from  English  and  American  navv  after  the  eve- 
ning service  in  the  church."  Let  us  look  more 
Jn  detail  at  some  of  the  activities  just  named. 

A  pen-picture  from  the  Doctor's  letters  gives  "The  Doutle 
one  an  excellent  idea  of  the  average  company  of  Cure  "-the 
lame,  halt,  and  bhnd,  who  are  found  in  Chinese  ^''''"■ 
mission  hospitals.     ''The  hour  is  nine  o'clock, 
and  the  gong  is  sounding  for  morning  prayers! 
Already  groups  of  men  are  collected  from  the 
city  and  villages  around,  some  having  their  bed- 
ding by  their  side  done  up  in  bundles.     There 
is  a  man  nearly  bhnd  —  his  Httle  son  has  led 
him  here  this  morning;  here  sits  a  lame  man 
with  his  crutches  in  his  hand.     That  pale,  hollow- 
cheeked,  feeble  man  has  probabiy  dysentery,  or 
phthisis.     The  sallow,  emaciated  opium'  smoker 
is  also  there;  and  one  who  is  suffering  from  a 
horrible  tumor  ha^  come  up  for  operation.     As 
the  gong  beats,   the   in-patients  who  are  suffi- 
ciently convalescent  come  trooping  in;  a  strange 
spectacle  indeed,  with  their  bandages  and  dress- 
ings on.     Here  come  the  assistants,  and  now  we 
all  take  our  seats.     A  hymn  is  given  out,  —  per- 
haps it  is  one  from  Sankey's  collection,  —  then 
a  portion  of  Scripture  is  read,  verse  about.    The 
subject  is  probably  a  Gospel  one,  —  very  likely 
a  case  of  healing.     It  is  explained  and  lessons 
are  drawn  from  it.     The  patients,  who  continue 


68  Princely  Men 

to  drop  in,  are  generally  very  quiet  and  atten- 
tive. The  meeting  closes  at  the  end  of  half  an 
hour  with  prayer.  Then  the  medical  mission- 
ary crosses  to  the  dispensary,  while  the  native 
evangelist  continues  to  talk  to  the  patients  as 
they  wait  for  their  turn. 
Healing  the  "And  now  the  work  of  healing  begins;  one  by 
Multitudes.  Qj^g  |-j^g  patients  come  into  the  dispensary.  This 
is  a  large  room  with  two  sides  occupied  with 
shelves  and  drawers,  containing  our  stock  in 
trade.  In  front  is  a  counter,  at  which  the  dis- 
pensers are  at  work  putting  up  medicines.  At 
the  table  sits  the  Chinese  writer,  taking  down  the 
particulars  of  each  case  and  making  out  the  tick- 
ets." It  would  be  tedious  to  describe  the  patients 
thus  treated.  An  analysis  of  his  work  at  Tien- 
tsin for  a  year  shows  that  diseases  of  the  eye  are 
most  common,  and  then  follow  those  of  the-  di- 
gestive system,  of  the  bones  and  joints,  of  the 
respiratory  and  nervous  systems.  The  common- 
est surgical  operations  are  those  performed  on 
the  eye,  after  which  come  amputations,  disloca- 
tions, and  .fractures.  Dr.  Mackenzie  emphasized 
the  work  for  opium  patients,  especially  when  in 
Hankow.  Concerning  this  generally  hopeless 
class  of  men  he  writes:  "There  is  no  medical 
specific  guaranteed  to  cure;  the  object  aimed  at 
is  to  relieve  symptoms  as  they  arise  and  so  to 
help  the  patient  back  to  health  and  freedom.  I 
always  tell  them  the  medicine  given  them  is  to  re- 


John   Kenneth  Mackenzie  69 

lieve  the  pain  and  craving,  but  they  are  to  pray 
to  God  and  beheve  in  Jesus  to  get  the  desire 
taken  away  from  their  hearts  and  new  hearts 
given  them.  They  thus  carry  back  a  knowledge 
of  the  Gospel  north,  south,  east,  and  west." 

The  cure  of  souls  was  so  emphatically  Dr.  Mac-  Spiritual 
kenzie's  great  object  in  life  that  an  additional  '"^''^~ 
paragraph  is  needed  to  show  how  the  deeper 
work  was  accomplished.  In  addition  to  the 
morning  prayers  already  described,  he  regarded 
it  of  prime  importance  to  have  a  staff  of  assist- 
ants who  were  more  than  nominal  Christians, 
and  to  that  end  he  and  others  offered  most  earn- 
est prayer.  Daily  meetings  for  prayer,  a  special 
one  on  Tuesday  night  to  gather  up  the  results, 
a  Bible  class  on  Sunday  for  more  careful  study, 
were  the  agencies  mainly  used;  but  above  all 
meetings  and  study  was  the  holy  life  of  Dr.  Mac- 
kenzie himself  and  the  spiritual  atmosphere  which 
always  haloed  him.  A  single  illustration  will 
show  the  object  and  effect  of  the  agencies  used 
by  Dr.  Mackenzie  for  deepening  the  spiritual 
life  of  his  Chinese  assistants.  "We  were  reading 
of  how  Jesus  while  preaching  by  the  Lake  of 
Gennesaret,  being  troubled  by  the  crowds  which 
pressed  upon  Him,  sought  refuge  in  a  fishing- 
boat  belonging  to  Simon  Peter,  and  it  is  stated 
that  at  the  time  the  fishermen  were  engaged  in 
washing  their  nets.  '  Ah ! '  remarked  young  Mao, 
one  of  our  Cliristian  dispensers,  '  we  want  to  imi- 


70  Princely   Men 

tate  Peter  in  this.  He  and  his  fellow  disciples 
had  toiled  all  night  and  caught  nothing,  and  here 
they  were  found  washing  their  nets.  We,  who 
are  fishers  of  men,  need  to  attend  to  this;  we 
should  be  washing  our  nets  oftener.  Are  we  not 
succeeding  in  our  work  as  we  should  like  ?  Per- 
haps our  communion  with  the  Savior  is  broken. 
Perhaps  we  are  not  constantly  feeding  upon  God's 
Word.  Then  are  our  nets  foul,  and  we  had  bet- 
ter give  up  fishing  until  we  have  washed  our 
nets."  What  wonder  that  the  spiritual  fruitage 
was  large,  with  such  preparation  and  a  praying 
band  organized  for  work  among  all  the  patients, 
especially  those  in  the  wards! 
The  Medical  Dr.  Mackenzie  was  engaged  in  an  undertak- 
School.  -j^g  ^jiich  was  at  once  most  thoroughly  Christian, 
and  yet  it  was  being  carried  on  at  the  expense  of 
Viceroy  Li  and  other  Chinese,  many  of  whom 
were  officials.  An  obligation  was  thus  laid  upon 
him  to  prepare  men  to  extend  his  own  work, 
both  for  the  benefit  of  the  Empire  and  for  Chris- 
tianity's sake.  The  army  and  navy  were  with- 
out a  medical  staff,  and  his  first  thought  was  to 
furnish  competent  men  and  thorough  going 
Christians  for  this  need.  He  realized  that  an 
ideal  thing  would  be  to  have  such  men  get  their 
education  abroad  at  the  best  Occidental  medical 
collegeSo  That,  however,  was  impracticable;  and 
had  it  been  done,  the  Christian  training  of  the 
students  would  have  been  nil.     Hence,  with  the 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  71 

Viceroy's  approval,  he  secured  some  of  the  stu- 
dents who  had  been  sent  to  America  by  the  Chi- 
nese Educational  Commission,  and  assisted  by 
doctors  and  surgeons  of  the  community,  or  on 
the  war  vessels  in  port,  he  undertook  the  train- 
ing of  China's  first  modern  practitioners.  This 
added  imm.ensely  to  his  labors,  since  he  had  to 
be  a  whole  medical  faculty  in  himself;  yet  the 
examinations  proved  that  the  students  were  re- 
markably well  prepared  for  their  work.  Being 
in  a  sense  a  government  institution,  there  was  at 
first  some  difficulty  about  compulsory  instruction 
in  the  Bible;  but  a  slight  mutiny  and  an  appeal 
to  native  officials  in  the  hope  of  release,  brought 
the  men  back  to  the  regular  regime  with  permis- 
sion to  spend  Sundays  in  medical  study,  if  they 
objected  to  Bible  work.  The  writer  recalls  aow 
Sunday  was  spent  at  the  Medical  School,  and 
testifies  to  the  living  treatment  of  the  Bible 
which  Dr.  Mackenzie  always  gave.  The  Bible 
class  especially  was  full  of  life.  He  aimed  to 
make  it  as  conversational  as  possible  and  to  en- 
list every  one  in  taking  part.  "People  enjoy  a 
meeting  much  more  when  they  have  some  part 
in  it,  however  small.  Above  all  things,  the  leader 
should  avoid  preaching,  if  the  meeting  is  to  be 
interesting  and  profitable."  This  was  his  theory 
and  practice ;  and  as  the  prayers  were  always  short 
and  definite,  as  well  as  remarkably  spiritual  in 
tone,  the  class  was  both  interesting  and  profitable. 


72  Princely   Men 

its  During  his  lifetime,  Dr.  Mackenzie  was  dis- 
Graduates.  appointed  in  the  reception  accorded  his  students. 
The  army  and  navy  being  under  official  control 
and  the  prevalent  corruption  making  it  impossi- 
ble to  secure  the  money  appropriated,  because 
it  clung  to  the  hands  of  superior  officers,  these 
young  men  fared  ill  in  the  attempt  to  further  a 
work  which  was  essentially  Western  and  hence 
hated.  Some  were  driven  from  the  field,  while 
others  remained  at  their  posts  under  the  heaviest 
opposition.  A  few  of  the  men  were  permitted 
to  remain  in  Tientsin  and  teach  in  the  Medical 
School,  and  this  was  a  great  relief  to  the  over- 
burdened Doctor.  After  his  death,  three  of  his 
students  were  placed  in  charge  of  the  new  Vice- 
roy's Hospital;  others  took  a  similar  position  in 
the  naval  and  military  hospital  at  Port  Arthur; 
and  still  others  were  appointed  to  Wei-hai-wei,  a 
naval  station.  Dr.  Chang  became  house-surgeon 
of  a  hospital  in  Hongkong,  and  Dr.  Mai  for 
some  time  successfully  treated  the  father  of  the 
Emperor  in  Peking. 
Mackenzie's  Having  briefly  noted  the  main  facts  in  Dr. 
Family.  Mackenzie's  career,  a  few  personal  items  must 
be  given.  His  affection  for  his  wife  was  very 
deep,  but  in  February,  1881,  her  health  became 
so  broken  that  she  and  their  httle  daughter  wxre 
ordered  to  England.  In  November  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  they  returned  and  the  Doctor  was 
delighted  at  the  prospect  of  a  reunited  family. 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  73 

But  almost  immediately  Mrs.  Mackenzie's  health 
so  completely  gave  way  again,  that  he  was  obliged 
to  return  home  with  her.  After  five  months  in 
England  and  on  the  Continent,  he  bade  his  wife 
adieu  for  the  last  time,  and  the  remaining  five 
years  of  his  Hfe  were  spent  in  a  lonely  home. 
Their  separation  and  the  nature  of  his  wife's 
disease  were  such  that  most  men  would  have 
been  crushed.  Yet  one  who  saw  him  constantly 
during  those  years  writes:  "The  chastisement 
yielded  afterwards  the  peaceable  fruits  of  right- 
eousness, and  did  much  towards  the  develop- 
ment and  making  of  his  spiritual  life,  while  his 
personal  griefs  only  made  him  the  better  able  to 
enter  into  the  sorrows  of  others."  Each  trial 
drove  him  closer  to  his  Heavenly  Father. 
"Though  one  of  the  Lord's  chosen  people,"  he 
writes,  "I  was  previously  so  ignorant  of  Him! 
Now,  through  His  great  mercy,  I  have  been 
learning  what  it  is  in  some  measure  to  walk  with 
Him  and  to  hold  close  communion  with  Him. 
Oh,  He  has  been  so  good  to  me  in  filling  up  my 
life  With  such  unutterable  joy  and  peace!" 

Mackenzie  was  so  exceedingly  busy  that  he  His  Friends, 
could  scarcely  stir  from  Tientsin;  though  during 
the  Week  of  Prayer  he  visited  Peking,  and  he 
also  ran  away  for  a  brief  health-change  at  other 
times.  Hence  he  made  no  wide  acquaintance 
outside  of  his  own  city.  His  chief  joy  was  to 
find   those   whose   spiritual   yearnings   coincided 


74  Princely   Men 

with  his  own  deep  longings  for  a  higher  life. 
The  brilliant  prize-winner  among  English  and 
Continental  medical  students,  R.  Harold  A. 
Schofield,  who  had  studied  medicine  in  London, 
Paris,  Vienna,  and  Berlin,  and  who  could  preach 
in  French,  German,  and  English,  and  at  the  end 
of  three  months  in  China  knew  more  of  the  lan- 
guage than  the  ordinary  man  after  a  year's  study, 
brought  an  oasis  into  his  Tientsin  life.  Even 
more  pronounced  was  the  effect  upon  him  of  his 
acquaintance  with  Chinese  Gordon,  who  was 
later  the  martyr  of  Khartum.  ''I  was  struck 
with  one  thing  about  him,"  says  Mackenzie, 
"and  that  was  that  religion  had  become  a  part 
of  his  life.  Not  that  he  used  religious  phrases;  I 
fancy  he  has  an  abomination  of  cant,  or  any- 
thing approaching  to  it;  but  it  is  natural  to  him 
to  refer  to  spiritual  things.  You  can't  help  recog- 
nizing the  sort  of  man  he  is."  The  brief  visit  in 
Tientsin  of  Stanley  Smith  and  others  of  the  Cam- 
bridge Band  was  another  mighty  uplift  in  his 
life,  to  which  he  owed  much.  But  it  was  in 
James  Gilmour  that  his  soul  seemed  to  delight 
most.  The  two  congenial  spirits  knew  no 
greater  joy  than  that  of  sitting  together  with  open 
Bibles  and  bowing  in  fervent  prayer. 
His  Books.  And  those  silent  friends  that  speak  to  us  when 
we  turn  to  them  in  our  need,  good  books,  were  a 
large  factor  in  the  Doctor's  growth.  He  espe- 
cially enjoyed  such  compilations  as  "  Daily  Light 


John   Kenneth   Mackenzie  75 

on  the  Daily  Path,"  and  Andrew  Murray's  writ- 
ings, particularly  his  "Abide  in  Christ,"  as  well 
as  stirring  biographies  like  those  of  Finney  and 
Bishop  Patteson.  As  his  character  ripened,  how- 
ever, the  range  of  his  reading  grew  narrower,  and  '  I 
he  found  in  The  Book  the  quintessence  of  them  . 
all.  How  greatly  he  loved  it,  may  be  seen  from  1 
the  fact  that  a  Bible  received  but  three  months  \ 
before  his  death  was  marked  in  every  part,  while  1 
whole  books  had  been  carefully  studied  during 
that  period. 

Before  Dr.  Mackenzie  had  completed  his  The 
thirty-eighth  year  the  end  came.  In  the  midst  of  Comp/et/on. 
his  strength  he  was  smitten  down  with  a  fever 
which  threatened  to  become  small-pox.  Less 
than  six  days  he  suffered,  and  then  the  last  fare- 
wells were  said,  the  most  affecting  being  the  final 
interview  with  his  chief  native  assistant,  formerly 
a  student  at  Phillips  Academy,  whose  questionable 
life  led  him  to  utter  this  final  appeal,  "Whether 
we  shall  meet  again  or  not  is  for  you  to  decide." 
And  then  on  Easter  morning,  April  i,  1888, 
"early,  while  it  was  yet  dark,"  the  beloved  phy- 
sician left  the  cheerless  plain  of  Chih-li  to  join 
Him  whom  not  having  seen,  he  so  deeply  loved. 
The  funeral  of  the  "most  important  man  of 
Tientsin"  occurred  the  following  day,  when  the 
last  words  which  he  had  marked  in  his  Bible 
previous  to  being  smitten  down  were  fulfilled, 
"And  all  Judah  and  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusa- 


76  Princely   Men 

lem  did  him  honor  at  his  death."  Missionaries 
and  other  members  of  the  foreign  community, 
the  Chinese  Christians  and  official  representatives 
of  Viceroy  Li  Hung-chang  and  his  wife,  and  his 
devoted  hospital  assistants,  followed  the  body  to 
the  grave  amid  demonstrations  which  are  most 
unusual  among  the  Chinese.  With  the  strains  of 
"Rock  of  Ages"  rising  from  the  graveside  in 
Chinese  they  left  him  there  to  await  the  trump 
of  earth's  final  Easter  Sabbath. 


JAMES    GILMOUR 

THE    APOSTLE    TO    THE    MONGOLS 

Born  in   Cathkin,  Scotland,  June    12,    1843 
Died  in  Tientsin,  China,  May  21,  1891 

A    PROPHETIC    FORESHADOWING 


"  I  said,  I  have  labored  in  vain,  I  have  spent  my  strength  for  nought 
and  vanity  :  yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with  the  Lord,  and  my  recompense 
with  my  God.  .  .  .  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  redeemer  of  Israel,  and  his 
Holy  One,  to  him  whom  man  despiseth,  to  him  whom  the  nation  abhorreth, 
to  a  servant  of  rulers  :  Kings  shall  see  and  arise  ;  princes,  and  they  shall 
worship ;  because  of  the  Lord  that  is  faithful,  even  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel,  who  hath  chosen  thee."  —  Isaiah,  49  :  4,  7. 


THE    ASPIRATION 

"  The  ten  days  we  passed  there  [at  Ta  Cheng  Tzu],  we  were  the  song  of 
the  drunkard  and  the  jest  of  the  abjects  ;  but  the  peace  of  God  passes  all 
understanding;,  and  that  kept  my  heart  and  mind.  We  put  a  calm  front 
on,  put  out  our  stand  daily,  and  carried  ourselves  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. The  great  thought  of  my  mind  in  these  days,  —  and  the  great  ob- 
ject of  my  life,  —is  to  be  like  Christ.  As  He  was  in  the  world,  so  we  are 
to  be.  He  was  in  the  world  to  manifest  God  ;  we  are  in  the  world  to  mani- 
fest Christ."  — Gilmour's  words,  written  in  1888. 


A    TESTIMONY 

"  James  Gilmour,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  in  almost  constant  soli- 
tude, in  superabounding  physicial  labors  that  often  overburdened  him  and 
once  nearly  broke  him  down,  in  the  long  disappointment  of  the  most  cher- 
ished hopes,  and  under  the  constant  strain  of  what  would  have  crushed  any 
but  a  giant  in  faith,  lived  a  life  which,  if  taught  no  other  lesson,  was  yet 
well  worth  living  to  teach  this  —  that  Jesus  Christ  can  and  does  give  His 
servants  the  victory  over  apparent  non-success,  after  the  most  vehement 
and  long-sustained  effort  to  secure  success,  and  that  is  the  greatest  victory 
possible  to  renewed  and  sanctified  human  nature." —Gilmour's  friend, 
Richard  Lovett. 


CHRONOLOGICAL    LIST    OF    EVENTS    IN 
GILMOUR'S    LIFE 

1843.     Born  at  Cathkin,  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  June  12. 
1862.     Enters  Glasgow  University,  where  he  received  his  M.A. 

Is  converted  early  in  his  college  course. 
1867.     Applies  to  London  Missionary  Society  and  is  accepted. 

Enters  Cheshunt  (Iheological)  College,  near  London,  September. 

1869.  Enters  Highgate  missionary  training  institution,  September. 

1870.  Ordained    as   missionary   at    St.    Augustine's  Chapel,    Edinburgh 

February  10. 
Journey  from  Liverpool  to  Peking,  February  22-I\Iay  18. 
Massacre  of  foreigners  at  Tientsin,  June  21. 
First  Mongolian  trip  —  from  Peking  to  Kiachta,  August  5-Septem- 

ber  28. 

1871.  Visits  scene  of  first  Mongolian  Missions  (1S17-1 841),  March. 
1872-3.     Spends  winter  in  Yellow  Temple,  Peking,  working  for  Mongols. 
1874.     Marries  Emily  Prankard  at  Peking,  Decembers. 

1874-5.    Time  mainly  spent  in  Peking,  substituting  for  furloughed  colleague. 
1877.     Tours  in  Shantung,  baptizing  many  converts. 

1882.  (jilmour  and  his  family  start  for  furlough  in  Great  Britain,  Spring. 

1883.  They  return  to  Cliina,  September  i-November  14. 

1884.  Boyinto,  his  only  convert  among  the  nomadic  Mongols,  witnesses  a 

good  confession  in  a  lama  tent,  March  i. 

1885.  Mrs.  Gilmour  dies,  September  19. 

Gilmour  starts  for  Eastern  Mongolia,  the  scene  of  his  later  labors, 
December  14. 
1889.     Second  furlough  in  Great  Britain,  May  25- January  9,  1890. 
1891.     Died  of  typhus  fever  at  Tientsin,  China,  May  21. 


Ill 

JAMES    GILMOUR 

The  Apostle  to  the  Mongols 

Matthew  Gilmour,  mason  and  wright,  and  Giimour's 
his  good  wife,  whose  piety  was  such  that  they  ^"^^^^'^y- 
gladly  walked  five  miles  to  church,  returning  by 
lantern-light,  were  fitting  grandparents  for  one 
who  was  a  strict  Sabbatarian  like  James  Gil- 
mour. In  his  paternal  grandmother,  also,  was 
the  prototype  of  the  future  amateur  physician  of 
Mongolia;  for  she  had  a  great  local  reputation  as 
lay  doctor  and  nurse,  and  in  those  early  days 
she  procured  vaccine  lymph  direct  from  the  cow. 
Was  John  Pettigrew,  his  mother's  father,  so 
scrupulously  honest  that,  though  only  a  farmer- 
miller,  he  compelled  the  minister  to  retract  his 
charge  of  scant  measure  after  grinding  the  par- 
son's oatmeal?  What  wonder,  then,  that  his  fa- 
mous grandson  should  be  blunt  and  honest  to 
the  point  of  eccentricity! 

James   Gilmour  was  born  June   12,    1843,   at  Home 
Cathkin;  but  in  a  short  time  the  family  removed  ^''^/''^/zces. 
to  Glasgow,  five  miles  away,  though  a  few  years 
later  they  returned  to  the  country.     The  third 
79 


8o  Princely   Men 

son  of  a  family  of  six  boys,  of  whom  all  but 
one  lived  to  manhood,  he  naturally  saw  plenty  of 
life,  and  he  was  a  prominent  factor  in  all  sorts  of 
pranks  and  outdoor  activities.  Chaffing  the  men 
in  the  workshop  and  mill,  —  his  father  and  uncle 
were  partners  for  a  time  in  the  lumber  business, 

—  devising  plans  for  mechanically  increasing  his 
stroke  in  swimming,  tramping  over  mountain  and 
through  glen  to  secure  geological  specimens,  row- 
ing and  dragging  his  skiff  over  shallows  to  a 
point  on  the  Clyde  rarely  reached  —  these  are 
some  of  the  feats  and  activities  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth.  But  the  indoor  Hfe  of  the  home 
made  a  more  lasting  impression  upon  the  boy. 
Family  prayers  of  a  prolonged  and  helpful  type, 
though  rather  hard  on  ilhterate  apprentices,  were 
a  marked  feature  of  the  home  training.  So  were 
the  meetings  around  their  mother's  knee,  when 
she  read  to  the  boys  stories  or  told  them  of  her 
hopes  for  their  future.  As  one  reads  Gilmour's 
"Among  the  Mongols,"  one  cannot  but  believe 
that  these  stories  were  the  remote  cause  of  its 
fascinating  style  and  racy  descriptions  —  a  De 
Foe,  the  London  Spectator  called  Gilmour.  Nor 
was  the  mother  the  only  hero  of  those  never-to- 
be-forgotten  Sabbaths;  for  the  father  made  the 
evenings  memorable  by  placing  upon  the  table 
the  ''big  Bible"  — Scott  and  Matthew  Henry's 

—  and  reading  therefrom  interesting  passages 
with  pithy  or  quaint  comments.     In  a  word,  the 


James  Gilmour  8i 

future  apostle  to  the  Mongols  found  in  the  home 
of  this  Scotch  Congregationalist  the  most  impor- 
tant foundation  of  his  future  usefulness. 

Four  years  in  a  subscription  school,  followed  Gilmour's 
by  a  successful  period  of  study  at  Gorbals  Youths'  ^^'''^ 
School  in  Glasgow,  proved  to  his  father  that  he  '  ^' 

was  deserving  of  higher  opportunities;  hence  he 
was  sent  to  the  Glasgow  High  School,  where 
he  won  prizes  and  thereby  convinced  his  parents 
that  he  ought  to  give  up  all  thought  of  entering 
a  trade.  Few  boys  have  been  more  conscien- 
tious scholars  than  he.  No  slighting  of  work 
was  tolerated,  and  to  make  the  five  miles  to  his 
school,  he  often  went  without  his  breakfast. 

At  Glasgow  University  he  exhibited  the  same  Further 
traits:  an  ambition  which  did  not  rest  satisfied  Education. 
until  his  best  had  been  done  and  prizes  in  Greek, 
Latin,  and  English  literature  were  won;  a  studi- 
ousness  which  could  not  rest  in  summer  time, 
but  which  drove  him  to  the  library  for  loads  of 
books;  and  a  sense  of  justice  which  led  him  to 
join  others  in  a  revolt  against  an  inefficient  pro- 
fessor of  moral  philosophy.  His  most  intimate 
college  friend  says  of  those  days:  "Throughout 
his  college  career  Gilmour  was  a  very  hard- 
working student;  his  patient  perseverance  and 
powers  of  application  were  marvelous;  and  yet 
as  a  rule  he  was  bright  and  cheerful,  able  in  a 
twinkhng  to  throw  off  the  cares  of  work  and 
enter  with  zest  into  the  topics  of  the  day.     He 


82  Princely   Men 

had  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  humorous  side  of 
things,  and  his  merry  laugh  did  one  good.  Al- 
together he  was  a  delightful  companion  and  was 
held  in  universal  esteem.  One  of  Gilmour's 
leading  thoughts  was  unquestionably  the  un- 
speakable value  of  time,  and  this  intensified  with 
years.  There  was  not  a  shred  of  indolence  in 
his  nature;  it  may  be  truthfully  said  that  he  never 
wilfully  lost  an  hour."  This  testimony  would 
hold  good  with  regard  to  his  later  studies  and 
life  at  the  Theological  Hall  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Scotland,  located  at  Edinburgh,  and 
at  Cheshunt  and  Highgate  in  England. 
The  Gilmour's  conversion  had  been  a  gradual  one, 
Missionary  though  in  the  process  he  had  sometimes  been  in 
deep  darkness.  "I  can  remember  the  time,"  he 
writes,  "when  the  pains  of  hell  got  such  a  ter- 
rible hold  upon  me,  that  I  would  gladly  have 
changed  places  in  the  world  with  anyone  who 
had  the  hope  of  salvation.  Death,  life,  prospects, 
honor,  shame,  seemed  nothing  compared  with  the 
hope  of  salvation,  which  I  was  then  without. 
Could  I  ever  be  saved  ?  was  the  question.  Would 
I  ever  have  the  hope  that  I  knew  others  had?" 
But  the  light  came  full  and  clear  in  his  first  year 
at  the  University,  and  he  developed  into  a  hope- 
ful, active  Christian.  Not  until  the  first  session 
in  the  Theological  Hall  did  he  decide  upon  his 
hfe  work.  The  ministry  was  first  chosen  on  the 
ground  that,  as  one  saved  by  grace,  he  was  under 


James   Gilmour  83 

obligations  to  do  what  he  could  to  extend  Christ's 
Kingdom,  and  the  ministry  was  the  vocation 
looking  most  directly  to  that  end.  When  it  came 
to  the  question  of  the  place  of  his  ministry  his 
course  of  reasoning  was  almost  identical  with 
that  of  Robert  Morrison,  though  Gilmour  added 
a  stronger  conclusion:  "He  who  said  'preach,' 
said  also,  'go  ye  into  and  preach,'  and  what 
Christ  hath  joined  together  let  not  man  put  • 
asunder.  This  command  seemed  to  me  to  be 
strictly  a  missionary  injunction,  and,  as  far  as  I 
can  see,  those  to  whom  it  was  first  delivered 
regarded  it  in  that  hght;  so  that,  apart  altogether 
from  choice  and  other  lower  reasons,  my  going 
forth  is  a  matter  of  obedience  to  a  plain  com- 
mand; and  in  place  of  assigning  a  reason  for 
going  abroad,  I  would  prefer  to  say  that  I  have 
failed  to  discover  any  reason  why  I  should  stay 
at  home." 

Near  the  close  of  the  session  of  1867,  Gilmour  Appointment 

applied  for  appointment  to  the  London  Mission-  ^"^ 

c^      .  11-  11  Preparation. 

ary  Society,  and,  bemg  accepted,  he  was  sent  to 

Cheshunt  College,  fourteen  miles  north  of  Lon- 
don. The  new  life  of  a  dormitory  institution 
was  not  an  easy  one  to  become  accustomed  to, 
but  apart  from  that  he  owed  much  to  Cheshunt 
and  to  the  books  read  there.  Those  which  ^ 
made  the  most  abiding  impression  were  even 
then  out  of  ordinary  use,  —  such  volumes  as 
James's  "Earnest  Ministry,"  Baxter's  "Reformed 


84  Princely  Men 

Pastor,"  and  some  of  Bunyan's  works.  Here, 
too,  he  gained  the  victory  over  his  lust  for  prizes. 
"So  now  I  made  a  stand,"  he  says,  "threw  am- 
bition to  the  winds,  and  set  to  reading  my  Bible 
in  good  earnest.  I  made  it  my  chief  study  dur- 
ing the  last  three  months  of  my  residence  at 
Cheshunt,  and  I  look  back  upon  that  period  of 
my  stay  there  as  the  most  profitable  I  had."  In 
September,  1869,  he  entered  the  missionary  sem- 
inary at  Highgate,  and  also  studied  Chinese  in 
London  with  Professor  Summers.  His  prepara- 
tion was  not  without  its  more  practical  aspects. 
Going  out  in  the  evening  alone,  he  would  con- 
duct open-air  services  near  the  railway  station, 
or  else  would  invite  those  on  the  streets  to  special 
meetings,  in  a  way  which  stirred  all  who  heard 
him,  as  well  as  called  forth  many  sneers.  Through 
correspondence  he  reached  many  at  a  distance. 
He  was  also  working  for  China  even  before  he 
set  sail  for  the  Middle  Kingdom.  A  friend 
writes:  "When  he  knew  what  was  to  be  his  field 
of  labor  after  his  college  course  was  over,  how 
solicitous  he  was  to  go  out  fully  prepared  and 
fitted  in  spiritual  equipment!  The  needs  of  the 
perishing  heathen  were  very  real  and  weighed 
heavily  upon  his  heart,  and  he  was  very  anxious 
to  win  volunteers  among  his  college  friends  for 
this  all-important  work.  How  he  longed  and 
prayed  for  China's  perishing  millions,  only  his 
most  intimate  friends  know." 


James  Gilmour  85 

While  in   Edinburgh   in    1869,    Gilmour  had  At  Pek/ng. 
those  interviews  with  Mrs.  Swan,  a  survivor  of 
the    first    Protestant    mission    to    the    Mongols, 
which  led  to  his  appointment  to  Mongolia.    But 
the  ocean  and  North  China  lay  between  him  and 
his  goal.     The  former  was  a  place  in  which  he 
could  labor  for  those  who  needed  his  aid  almost 
as  much  as  his  future  parishioners;  and  so  we 
see  the  canny  Scot  winning  the  respect  of  the 
crew  in  the  silent  night-watches  and  in  manly 
fashion  testifying  to  them  of  the  power  of  Christ 
to  save.     A  small  but  critical  and  sceptical  audi- 
ence in  the  cabin  soon  came  to  value  the  minis- 
trations of  "the  only  parson  on  board,"  even  if 
he  was  a  Dissenter.     The  unique  experience  of 
the  world- traveler,  that  of  seeing  the  great  walls 
of  Peking  rise  from  the  horizon  of  the  flat  plain 
and  a  little  later  of  passing  through  them  by  a 
cavernous   portal,   was   our  hero's   on   May   18, 
1870,  a  little  before  he  had  reached  his  twenty- 
seventh  birthday.     While  no  awful  calamity,  hke 
that  which  visited  the  capital  thirty  years  later, 
was  impending,  foreigners  were  in  great  fear  of 
being  exterminated.     It  was  just  before  the  san- 
guinary massacre  of  their  fellow-countrymen  in 
Tientsin,    and   men's  hearts   were   failing   them 
with  fear.     "Keep  me,  O  God,  in  perfect  peace," 
was  the  burden   of  his  prayer  for  himself,  and 
for  the  multitudes  he  felt  that  there  was  no  other 
refuge.     "While  others  are  writing  to  the  papers 


86  Princely  Men 

and  trying  to  stir  up  the  feelings  of  the  people, 
so  that  they  may  take  action  in  the  matter,  per- 
haps I  may  do  some  good  moving  heaven.     My 
creed  leads  me  to  think  that  prayer  is  efficacious, 
and  surely  a  day's  asking  God  to  overrule  ail 
these  events  for  good  is  not  lost.     Still,  there  is  a 
great  feehng  that  when  a  man  is  praying  he  is 
doing  nothing;  and  this  feeling,  I  am  sure,  makes 
us  give  undue  importance  to  work,  sometimes  to 
the   hurrying   over,    or   even   to   the   neglect    of 
prayer." 
On  to  the      A- smattering  of  Chinese  in  London,  and  only 
Plateau.  ^  ^^^^^^  beginning  made  in  that  language  during 
less  than  three  months  at  Peking  was  a  meager 
preparation  for  a  sohtary  plunge  into  the  work 
which  was  before  him.     Moreover,  the  mission- 
aries  disapproved   and   the   recent   disturbances 
made   his    start    somewhat    hazardous.     Yet   he 
was  of  heroic  mold,  and  so  he  creeps   over  the 
northern  part  of  the  Great  Plain  and  up  through 
the    age-old    stairway,    known    as    Nan-kou,    or 
South  Pass.     For  days  he  is  among  pack  camels, 
numbering  into  the  thousands,  while  the  silvery 
tinkle  of  the  mule  bells  mingles  with  the  deep 
bass  of  those  suspended  about  the  leading  camels 
of  each  caravan  of  seven.     And  then  those  great 
cross  walls,   plunging  down  into  the  pass,   fol- 
lowed at  its  northern  end  by  the   Great   Wall 
itself,   came  into  view  and   impressed  him  with 
the   ancient   greatness   of   a   wonderful   Empire. 


James   Gllmour  87 

Kalgan,  on  the  threshold  of  the  Mongohan  plat- 
eau, was  reached  at  last,  and  the  home  of  the 
American  missionaries  there  was  a  House  Beau- 
tiful in  his  weary  pilgrimage.  Eighteen  da3^s 
later  Gilmour  moves  onward,  up  the  famous  pass 
where  the  great  Khans  had  been  centuries  be- 
fore; indeed  to  his  right,  far,  far  above  the  high- 
way, is  an  arched  rock  through  which  one  of 
them  is  said  to  have  shot  an  arrow  from  the 
path  below.  Quaint  caravans  of  soda  carts, 
made  without  a  single  scrap  of  iron  and  drawn 
by  recalcitrant  oxen,  come  down  the  steep  in- 
cline in  akernate  leaps  and  balks.  But  finally 
the  summit  is  gained  and  here  at  last  is  grass- 
land, —  miles  of  it  rolHng  away  to  the  horizon, 
—  and  in  the  fleckless  blue  are  thousands  of 
skylarks,  that  have  sung  themselves  out  of  sight 
but  not  out  of  hearing. 

Who  were  these  Mongols  to  whom  Gilmour  Mongolia. 
was  giving  his  life,  and  what  was  their  country? 
They  are  the  descendants  of  those  hordes  which 
under  Genghis  and  Kublai,  the  two  greatest 
Khans,  swept  westward  and  southward  until 
Kublai's  sway  extended  during  the  latter  half  of 
the  thirteenth  century  ''from  the  Arctic  Ocean 
to  the  Strait  of  Malacca,  and  from  Korea  to  Asia 
Minor  and  the  confines  of  Hungary  —  an  extent 
of  territory  the  like  of  which  had  never  before, 
and  has  never  since,  been  governed  by  any  one 
monarch   in   Asia.''     The   land   which   they   in- 


88  Princely  .Men 

habit  is  only  a  scrap  of  their  former  realm.  The 
traveler  in  the  region  of  the  nomad  Mongols, 
where  Gilmour  spent  most  of  his  missionary  life, 
sees  scattered  here  and  there  over  the  rolling 
plateau,  clusters  of  circular  felt  tents,  flanked 
with  stacks  of  argol  —  dried  dung  used  as  fuel. 
The  superfluity  of  dogs  is  the  first  impression 
that  is  made  upon  the  visitor,  and  children  in 
swarms  are  equally  omnipresent.  Prayer-flags 
fluttering  over  the  encampment,  horsemen  watch- 
ing the  widely  scattered  flocks  and  herds,  lazy 
lamas  going  on  pilgrimage,  —  all  setting  off  a 
land  blue  with  myriads  of  forget-me-nots,  make 
the  scene  one  long  to  be  remembered.  The 
agricultural  Mongols,  who  live  in  settled  habita- 
tions along  the  Chinese  border  and  who  speak 
Chinese,  differ  but  little  from  their  neighbors  in 
North  China,  and  their  land  is  simply  a  northern 
extension  of  the  Imperial  Province. 
Learning  Gilmour's  first  trip  was  to  Kiachta,  on  the 
Mongolian.  Siberian  frontier,  which  he  reached  in  fifty-four 
days  from  Peking.  Here  his'  troubles  began. 
Though  a  trader,  named  Grant,  received  him, 
he  soon  left  his  host  because  of  the  taunt  that 
any  one  spending  as  much  time  as  he  on  the 
language  ought  to  make  more  rapid  progress. 
He  had  experienced  difficulty  in  securing  a 
teacher,  and  that  fact  with  Grant's  sneer  deter- 
mined him  to  commit  himself  to  the  people  and 
learn  the   language   as   does-'  a   child.     He  was 


James  Gilmour  89 

providentially  led  to  a  tent  whose  occupant  was 
friendly  and  who  agreed  to  teach  him  the  mys- 
teries of  the  language.  What  happened  during 
the  next  three  months  he  thus  describes:  ''He 
was  only  temporarily  located  there  and  had  no 
dog,  so  I  could  go  out  and  in  as  I  liked.  He 
was  rich,  so  could  afford  to  keep  a  good  fire 
burning,  —  a  luxury  which  could  not  have  been 
enjoyed  in  the  tent  of  a  poor  man.  His  business 
required  him  to  keep  two  or  three  menservants 
about  him;  and  as  a  man  of  his  position  could 
not  but  have  good  tea  always  on  hand,  —  a  great 
attraction  in  the  desert,  —  the  tent  was  seldom 
without  conversation  going  on  in  it  between  two 
or  three  Mongols.  This  last  —  conversation  car- 
ried on  by  Mongols,  just  as  if  no  one  had  been 
listening  —  was  exactly  what  I  wanted ;  and  I 
used  to  sit,  pencil  and  notebook  in  hand,  and 
take  down  such  phrases  as  I  could  catch.  .  .  . 
In  the  quiet  intervals  of  the  day  or  evening  I 
would  con  over  again  and  again  what  I  had 
caught.  Learning  the  language  in  this  way,  I 
could  soon  speak  a  good  deal  more  than  I  could 
understand,  or  my  teacher  explain  to  me.  Though 
I  could  not  parse  the  phrases,  nor  even  separate 
out  the  words  of  which  they  were  composed, 
much  less  tlnderstand  the  meaning  of  what  I 
said,  I  knew  when  and  how  to  use  them  and 
could  hardly  help  having  the  accent  correct,  and 
I  could  not  avoid  learning  first  those  words  and 
phrases  which  were  in  most  common  use." 


90  Princely   Men 

The  This  sort  of  life,  which  was  more  or  less  con- 
ongo  lans.  ^[^^^^^^  f^P  years,  gave  Gilmour  unsurpassed  op- 
portunities for  studying  the  Mongolians  them.- 
selves  and  their  customs.  A  ride  of  600  miles 
across  the  Desert  of  Gobi  taught  him  the  art  of 
riding  a  Mongol  horse,  his  knees  well  drawn  up, 
and  the  power  to  endure  thirst  for  long  periods. 
The  gentle  art  of  dickering,  which  in  the  Orient 
is  an  accomplishment  absolutely  essential  to  hap- 
piness; the  unwisdom  of  being  too  obliging  to 
menials;  how  to  camp  out  on  the  wilds;  the 
proper  forms  of  receiving  and  enduring  Mongol 
hospitality;  these  and  other  items  which  made 
the  people  call  him  "Our  Gilmour,"  were  the 
basis  of  his  influence  with  them.  He  also 
learned  the  power  of  the  lamas,  the  priests  of 
Mongolia's  form  of  Buddnism.  As  the  eldest 
son  in  every  family  is  set  apart  to  religion,  the 
country  swarms  with  lazy  men,  who  are  cehbates 
in  name,  but  in  reality  libertines.  Gilmour  as- 
serts that  "the  great  sinners  in  Mongolia  are  the 
lamas;  the  great  centers  of  wickedness  are  the 
temples."  Of  the  blackmen,  or  laity,  he  writes: 
"The  influence  of  the  wickedness  of  the  lamas  is 
most  hurtful.  It  is  well  known.  The  lamas  sin, 
not  among  themselves,  but  sow  their  evil  among 
the  people.  The  people  look  upon  the  lamas  as 
sacred  and  of  course  think  they  may  do  what 
the  lamas  do.  Thus  the  corrupting  influence 
spreads,  and  the  state  of  Mongolia  to-day,  as  re- 


James   Gilmour  oi 

gards  uprightness  and  morality,  is  such  as  makes 
the  heart  more  sick  the  more  one  knows  of  it." 

Like  the  Japanese  and  Hindus,  the  Mongols  Mongol 
are  externally  devoted  to  their  religion  as  an-  f^^l'Qiosity 
other  extract  from  Gilmour  picturesquely  shows. 
"One  of  the  first  things  that  the  missionary  no- 
tices in  coming  in  contact  with  the  Mongols  is 
the  completeness  of  the  sway  exercised  over  them 
by  their  religion.  Meet  a  Mongol  on  the^  road, 
and  the  probability  is  that  he  is  saying  his  prayers 
and  counting  his  beads  as  he  rides  along.  Ask 
him  where  he  is  going  and  on  what  errand,  as 
the  custom  is,  and  likely  he  will  tell  you  he  is 
going  to  some  shrine  to  worship.  Follow  him  to 
the  temple,  and  there  you  will  find  him  one  of  a 
company  with  dust-marked  foreheads,  moving 
his  lips  and  the  never  absent  beads,  going  the 
rounds  of  the  sacred  place,  prostrating  himself  at 
every  shrine,  bowing  before  every  idol,  and  strik- 
ing pious  attitudes  at  every  new  object  of  rever- 
ence that  meets  his  eye.  Go  to  the  quarters 
where  Mongols  congregate  in  towns,  and  you 
will  find  that  quite  a  number  of  the  shops  and  a 
large  part  of  the  trade  there  are  dependant  upon 
images,  pictures,  and  other  articles  used  in  worship. 

''Approach  tents,  and  the  prominent  object  is  Home 
a  flagstaff  with  prayer-flags  fluttering  at  the  top.  ^ef'9'O" 
Enter  a  tent,  and  there  right  opposite  you  as  you 
put  your  head  in  at  the  door  is  the  family  altar, 
with  its  gods,  its  hangings,  its  offerings,  and  its 


92  Princely  Men 

brass  cups.  Let  them  make  tea  for  you,  and 
before  you  are  asked  to  drink  it  a  portion  is 
thrown  out  by  a  hole  in  the  roof  of  the  tent  by 
way  of  offering.  Have  them  make  dinner  for 
you,  and  you  will  see  a  portion  of  it  offered  to 
the  god  of  the  fire,  and  after  that  perhaps  you 
may  be  asked  to  eat.  Wait  till  evening,  and 
then  you  will  see  the  little  butter  lamp  lighted 
and  set  upon  the  altar  as  a  pure  offering.  When 
bedtime  comes,  you  will  notice  as  they  disrobe 
that  each  and  all  wear  at  their  breast  charms 
sewn  up  in  cloth,  or  pictures  of  gods  in  metal 
cases  with  glass  fronts.  In  the  act  of  disrobing, 
prayers  are  said  most  industriously;  and  not  till 
all  are  stretched  on  their  felts  does  the  sound  of 
devotion  cease.  Among  the  first  things  in  the 
morning  you  will  hear  them  at  their  prayer  again; 
and  when  your  host  comes  with  you  to  set  you 
on  your  way,  he  will  most  likely  give  you  as  your 
landmark  some  cairn,  sacred  for  the  threefold 
reason  that  its  every  stone  was  gathered  and  laid 
in  prayer,  that  prayer- flags  flutter  over  the  sacred 
pile,  and  that  it  is  the  supposed  residence  of  the 
deity  that  presides  over  the  neighborhood."  It 
is  not  surprising  among  a  people  so  devoted  to 
their  religion  and  with  such  hostility  to  other 
faiths,  that  one  accepting  Christianity  should  be- 
come worse  than  an  outcast.  For  these  reasons 
Gilmour  made  little  religious  impression  upon 
the  Mongols. 


James  Gilmour  03 

Being  now  in  a  position  to  work  effectively,  Gilmour  at 
and  having  experimented  as  to  the  best  method  ^°'''^' 
of  reaching  his  man,  how  does  he  do  his  work? 
He  must  keep  near  the  people  and  to  him  this 
meant  living  as   nearly  like   them   as  possible. 
Thus  he  went  about  from  tent  to  tent  as  do  they 
when  on  their  travels.     He  also  shared  their  fare, 
which  consisted  in  the  morning  and  at  noonday 
of  a  tea  made  of  meal  fried  in  cracklings  with  tea 
poured  over  it,  and  at  sunset  of  beef,  mutton,  or 
tripe,  boiled  and  then  fished  out  with  the  fire- 
tongs  and  placed  in  a  basin  or  on  a  board.     It 
was  then  eaten  by  taking  it  between  the  teeth 
and  cutting  off  the  bite  with  a  knife,  thus  en- 
dangering the  lips.     Millet  boiled  in  soup  was  a 
second  and  more  palatable  dish.     His  great  dif- 
ficulty was  to  find  privacy  for  personal  prayer 
and   for   personal    conversation   with    any   who 
showed  an  interest  in  Christianity.     As  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  privacy  in  Mongolia,  he  must 
arrange  to  have  the  person  with  whom  he  was 
working  serve  as  an  attendant  on  long  walks  or 
rides. 

Approaching  -a  tent-hamlet,  he  shouts  out  Tent 
hanoi,  ''dog,"  which  brings  out  all  the  old  Visitation. 
women  and  children,  whose  business  it  is  to  hold 
in  check  the  fierce  beasts.  After  entering  the 
tent  and  partaking  of  snuff  and  removing  the 
reserve  by  friendly  sips  of  tea,  he  shows  the  com- 
pany a  set  of  Scripture  pictures,  which  are  enter- 


94  Princely    Men 

tainingly  described.  Next  he  produces  tracts, 
catechisms,  and  a  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  which 
are  also  briefly  explained.  Very  likely  some 
lama  will  ask  questions.  He  does  not  believe  in 
a  Bible  which  is  so  insignificant  in  bulk  in  com- 
parison with  his  own  Canon,  which  it  may  take 
a  string  of  camels  to  transport.  God's  omni- 
presence is  unbelievable  to  him.  The  Christian 
view  of  the  hereafter  and  our  theory  of  salvation 
are  real  problems  to  most  Mongols.  Gilmour's 
notorious  love  of  argument  made  such  questions 
a  genuine  pleasure,  much  as  he  deplored  their 
opposition.  It  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  make 
the  people  understand  spiritual  truths;  but  it  was 
easy  to  show  what  the  Christian  life  was  like 
through  his  own  godly  walk  and  conversation. 
The  First  Though  often  disappointed  and  of  the  ''con- 
Convert.  yiction  that  any  one  Mongol  coming  out  of  Bud- 
dhism and  entering  Christianity  would  lead  a 
very  precarious  existence  on  the  plain,  if  in  fact 
he  could  exist  there  at  all,"  Gilmour  was  over- 
joyed to  win  his  first  and  only  convert  among 
the  nomad  tribes,  one  Boyinto  by  name.  The 
long  story  of  the  heroic  confession  of  the  young 
man  amid  the  dense  smoke  of  a  lama's  tent,  and 
of  his  twenty-three  mile  walk,  with  feet  causing 
him  excruciating  pain,  that  he  might  have  pri- 
vate conversation  and  prayer  with  the  young 
confessor,  is  one  of  the  classics  of  missionary 
hterature.     Yet  even  this  one  convert  was  bap- 


James   Gilmour  gc 

tized  by  a  missionary  of  the  American  Board  and 
received  into  the  Kalgan  church. 

The  writer  well  remembers  the  sensation  made 
at  a  service  in  Peking  when  Gilmour,  shortly 
after  his  wife's  death,  preached  her  funeral  ser- 
mon. The  funeral  of  this  true  heroine  of  China 
w^as  no  more  unconventional  than  their  courtship 
and  marriage  had  been.  Refused  at  home  when 
he  had  proposed  to  a  Scotch  lassie,  he  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  a  London  young  woman  whom  he  had 
never  seen  and  whom  he  knew  only  through  mu- 
tual friends  and  correspondence.  Here  is  the 
chronicle  of  the  romance,  dated  Peking,  January 
31,  1875.  "I  proposed  in  January,  went  up  to 
Mongolia  in  spring,  rode  about  on  my  camels  till 
July,  and  came  down  to  Kalgan  to  find  that  I 
was  an  accepted  man!  I  went  to  Tientsin  to 
meet  her;  we  arrived  here  on  Thursday,  and 
were  married  on  Tuesday  morning.  We  had  a 
quiet  week;  then  I  went  to  the  country  on  a  nine 
days'  tour  and  came  back  two  days  before  Christ- 
mas. We  have  been  at  home  ever  since.  Such 
is  the  romance  of  a  matter  of  fact  man."  Miss 
Prankard's  first  view  of  her  future  husband  is 
thus  pictured  by  her  brother-in-law:  "The  morn- 
ing was  cold,  and  Gilmour  was  clad  in  an  old 
overcoat  which  had  seen  much  service  in  Siberia, 
and  had  a  woolen  comforter  around  his  neck, 
having  more  regard  for  warmth  than  appearance. 
We  had   to   follow   back   to  Tientsin,    Gilmour 


g6  Princely  Men 

being  thought  by  those  on  board  the  steamer  to 
be    the    engineer!"     Yet    beating    beneath    the 
rough  exterior  was  a  most  affectionate  heart,  and 
their  home  Hfe  was  most  dehghtful. 
Their  Mongol      The  brave  woman  longed  to  relieve  the  loneli- 

Home,  j^ggg  q£  j^gj.  husband  and  to  share  in  its  burdens; 
hence  in  the  summer  of  1876  they  were  in  Mon- 
golia for  over  four  months,  during  which  time 
his  wife  suffered  unspeakably  from  lack  of  pri- 
vacy, the  rough  fare  of  the  plain,  and  a  cataclysm 
of  woes,  —  ice  even  in  May,  a  furious  tempest 
lasting  thirty-six  hours  and  threatening  to  sweep 
tents  and  occupants  away,  the  summer  rains 
.  "pouring  and  lashing  and  roaring,  the  great  drops 
bursting  through  the  rent  cloth  and  looking  like 
pepper  shaken  from  a  box"  and  the  most  trying 
of  their  "meteorological  experiences,"  the  fierce 
heat    of    a    Mongolian    summer.     Yet    with    all 

•  these  discomforts  there  was  the  joy  of  getting 

close  to  the  people,  and  proving  their  love  by 
their  works.  A  corpulent  mandarin  was  one  of 
their  visitors,  on  which  occasion  their  ''tent  was 
crammed  with  eager  hsteners,  and  we  reasoned 
together  from  the  Creation  to  the  finish,  includ- 
ing all  manner  of  side-issues  and  important  ques- 
tions. It  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  be 
convinced  that  our  Jesus  was  not  spoken  of  in 
the  Buddhist  classics.  When  he  was  as  length 
satisfied  on  that  point,  he  wanted  to  know  about 
the  Trinity;  how  men  could  get  good;  how  it  was 


James  Gilmour  97 

right  that  men  should  escape  punishment  due  to 
their  misdeeds  by  praying  to  Jesus;  why  God  al- 
lowed animals,  such  as  starving  dogs,  to  lead  a 
life  of  suffering;  why  God  did  not  keep  sin  from 
entering  the  world;  and  how  about  the  souls  that 
died  before  Jesus  came."  In  one  of  their  two 
later  sojourns  in  Mongoha  they  almost  lost  their 
lives  in  a  fearful  storm  and  flood.  With  a  great 
swift- flowing  river  on  both  sides  of  their  frail 
tent  and  the  crash  of  thunder  and  the  louder 
roar  of  the  waters,  they  faced  death  for  a  time, 
but  at  last  were  saved. 

His  marriage  and  the  loneliness  of  both  be-  In  China, 
cause  of  the  necessitated  absence  in  Mongoha  of 
the  husband  made  httle  difference  with  Gil- 
mour's  scheme  of  Mongol  evangelization.  Yet  it 
so  happened  that  he  spent  considerable  time  in 
China,  either  substituting  for  his  Peking  col- 
leagues when  they  were  on  furlough,  or  else  aid- 
ing the  Tientsin  members  of  his  mission  when 
they  were  left  alone.  On  one  of  his  trips  to  the 
sacred  land  of  China,  the  Province  of  Shantung 
where  Confucius  and  Mencius  were  born,  he  and 
his  companion  baptized  a  large  number  of  Chi- 
nese. The  circumstance  raised  grave  questions 
in  Gilmour's  mind  as  to  the  advisability  of  ad- 
ministering the  rite  to  those  who  had  had  so 
little  instruction  and  oversight.  His  most  con- 
tinuous work  in  China  was  done  in  its  capital 
not  far  from  the  palace  grounds.     A  most  vivid 


98  Princely   Men 

account  of  street  chapel  work  was  given  before  an 
enchained  audience  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  when  he  was  home 
on  his  first  furlough. 
Hunting      That  work,  however,  was  not  as  distinctively 

Mongols  in  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^ds  labors  for  Mongols  in  Peking, 
Peking.  .  ^  ^ 

many  of  whom  spend  the  winters  there.     Part  of 

.  the  time  he  followed  the  plan  of  residing  in  the 
Yellow  Temple,  outside  the  city  walls.     Living 

.  here,  he  was  constantly  meeting  among  the  wor- 
shippers, those  whom  he  could  converse  with 
about  Christianity.  A  more  fruitful  work  was 
done,  however,  at  the  two  Mongol  encampments 
of  Peking.  "I  followed  the  example  of  the  ped- 
lers,"  he  writes,  '^and,  hanging  two  bags  of 
books  from  my  shoulders,  hunted  the  Mongols 
out,  going  not  only  to  the  trading  places,  but  in 
and  out  among  the  lanes  where  they  lodged, 
visiting  the  Outside  Lodging  first  and  the  Inside 
Lodging  later  in  the  day.  The  number  of  Mon- 
gols outside  the  city  became  latterly  so  small 
that  it  was  not  visited  very  often.  ...  In  many 
cases  the  Mongols  before  buying,  and  not  infre- 
quently after  buying,  would  insist  on  having  the 
book  read,  supposing  that  they  got  more  for 
their  money  when  they  not  only  had  the  book, 
but  had  me  let  them  hear  its  contents.  ...  As 
the  purchasers  of  these  books  hailed  from  all 
parts  of  Mongolia,  the  tracts  thus  put  into  their 
hands  will  reach  to  even  remote  localities  in  the 


James  Gilmour  99 

west,  north,  and  east;  and  my  prayer  is  that  the 
reading  of  them  may  be  the  beginning  of  what 
shall  lead  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth  in 
some  minds.  Hoping  for  some  good  result,  I  had 
my  address  stamped  on  many  of  the  books,  to 
enable  such  as  might  wish  to  learn  more  to  know 
where  to  come.  In  some  cases,  Mongols  wish- 
ing to  buy  books  had  no  money,  but  were  wiUing 
to  give  goods  instead;  and  thus  it  happened  that 
I  sometimes  made  my  way  home  at  night  with  a 
miscellaneous  collection  of  cheese,  sour- curd,  but- 
ter and  millet  cake  and  sheep's  fat,  representing 
the  produce  of  part  of  the  day's  sale." 

Twice  in  his  missionary  career,  this  rough  hero  Gilmour's 
of  the  desert  revisited  Great  Britain.     The  first  '^"''loughs. 
visit  was  due  to  his  wife's  ill-health,  which  began 
to  break  during  the  first  summer  in  Mongolia. 
Aside  from  the  charm  of  his  vivid  word-pictures 
which   held   his   audiences   spell-bound,   he   had 
pubHshed  while  at  home  his  unique  record  of  the 
early  years  in  Mongolia,   entitled   ''Among  the 
Mongols."     This  missionary  "Robinson  Crusoe" 
awakened  both  interest  and  enthusiasm,  and  re- 
quests to  write  books  and  articles  for  periodicals 
were  a  temptation  to  devote  his  Hfe  to  literary 
work,   or  at   least   to  give  much   time  to  such 
pursuits.     Both  visits  were  a  tonic  to  the  recluse 
of  MongoHa,  their  chief  delight  being  the  oppor- 
tunity of  quickening  his   spiritual  life   through 
contact  with  earnest  Christians  at  home.     The 


lOO  Princely   Men 

hearty  abandon  to  religion  in  the  Salvation  Army, 
and  the  deeper  current  of  spirituality  found  in  a 
Httle  circle  of  friends,  restored  naturalness  to  a 
rehgious  life  which  tended  to  become  morbid  in 
his  Mongohan  loneliness. 
His  Wife's      Though  Mrs.  Gilmour  returned  to  China  with 
Deatti.  j^gj.  husband,   she   was    spared    to    her    family 
only  a  little  more  than  two  years  longer.     Her 
departure,  leaving  him  with  two  boys  and  baby 
Alick,  and  the  departure  later  of  the  two  eldest 
to   Great   Britain,    constitute   one   of   the   semi- 
tragedies  of  missions  which  finds  its  record  in 
"James    Gilmour   and   His   Boys."     These   pa- 
thetic epistles  to  his  children  reveal  the  tenderer 
side  of  his  nature  better  than  anything  else  writ- 
ten by  him. 
7/?e      In  1872  Gilmour  had  visited  the  settled  Mon- 
Agricultural  ^^^^  -^^  ^j^^  eastern  part  of  Monerolia,  but  he  then 

Mongols.    ^  ^       ^  ^  ^  .^ 

reported  that  the  nomad  tribes  were  more  needy 
and  also  more  open  to  personal  w^ork.  His 
wife's  death  and  the  failure  of  his  Society  to 
send  out  a  colleague  for  work  among  the  nomads, 
caused  him  to  change  his  position,  and  during 
the  last  six  years  of  his  life  the  bulk  of  his  work 
was  done  for  them.  Here  he  appears  in  a  new 
role,  that  of  lay  doctor.  Though  he  had  done 
considerable  of  this  on  the  plain  and  had  had 
charge  of  the  lay  affairs  of  the  London  Hospital 
in  Peking,  thus  gaining  valuable  experience,  the 
work  was  never  pushed  as  in  Eastern  Mongolia. 


James  Gilmour  loi 

Had  he  consulted  his  own  preferences,  this  would 
not  have  been  undertaken;  since  he  had  had  no 
medical  training,  and  to  fail  in  a  case  might  re- 
sult disastrously.  Indeed,  the  loss  of  an  eye, 
operated  on  at  the  Peking  hospital  at  Gilmour's 
suggestion,  nearly  occasioned  the  death  of  him- 
self and  his  wife  when  they  were  on  the  plain. 
Yet  everywhere  he  saw  suffering  which  the 
wretched  lama  doctors  regarded  as  the  pathway 
to  the'  sufferer's  pocket,  they  spending  their  time 
in  days  of  prayer  for  the  patient,  since  in  their 
opinion  "work  without  prayer  is  of  no  avail." 
It  was  for  such  reasons  and  because  his  appeals 
for  a  colleague  who  was  a  physician  were  in  vain, 
that  he  so  emphasized  this  branch  of  the  work. 
The  character  of  his  labor  among  these  tribes 
may  be  gathered  from  this  report  of  eight  months 
spent  among  them:  Patients  seen,  about  5,717; 
hearers  preached  to,  23,755;  books  sold,  3,067; 
tracts  distributed,  4,500;  miles  traveled,  1,860; 
money  spent,  120.92  taels  —  about  $150.  Dur- 
ing nine  months  of  1887  he  attended  between 
twelve  and  thirteen  thousand  cases. 

Early  in  the  morning  Gilmour  would  sally  out  Lay  Medicine. 
to  the  market  place  with  his  httle  cloth  tent,  and 
after  pitching  it  would  stand  there  all  day  nearly, 
preaching  and  healing  diseases  with  his  well-tried 
specifics.  Itch,  rheumatism,  eye  difficulties, 
spring  diseases  due  to  the  damp  of  the  thaw, 
ague,  narry,  —  occasioned  by  whiskey  which  so 


I02  Princely   Men 

burns  the  stomach  that  many  die  of  the  disease, 
—  and  the  chronic  maladies  of  women,  affecting 
nearly  every  one  of  those  beyond  girlhood, 
pass  in  motley  order  before  him,  and  all  are 
treated  by  the  lay  doctor.  So  successful  was  he 
that  nothing  was  regarded  as  too  hard  for  the 
foreign  healer,  and  hence  many  cases  must  be 
turned  away.  "One  man  wants  to  be  made 
clever,  another  to  be  made  fat,  another  to  be 
cured  of  insanity,  another  of  tobacco,  another  of 
tea,  another  wants  to  be  made  strong  so  as  to 
conquer  in  gymnastic  exercises;  most  men  want 
medicines  to  make  their  beards  grow,  while  al- 
most every  man,  woman  and  child  wants  to  have 
his  or  her  skin  made  as  white  as  that  of  the 
foreigner." 
The  Nomad  In  constant  activity,  except  for  his  second 
at  Rest  ^j-jgf  furlough  in  Great  Britain  necessitated  by 
ill-health,  the  remaining  years  of  Gilmour's  ser- 
vice were  spent.  It  is  true  that  he  here  saw  oc- 
casional conversions  and  the  nuclei  of  three  na- 
tive churches  started;  but  over  against  these 
signs  of  promise  were  constant  opposition  from  a 
people  to  whom  he  was  giving  his  hfe,  and  the 
perils  of  a  section  abounding  in  thieves,  who 
even  stole  his  much  prized  Revised  Version  of 
the  Bible.  His  hopes  would  be  once  and  again 
raised  by  the  tidings  of  re-enforcements,  but  the 
two  physicians  who  had  been  sent  out,  were 
speedily   called   away   and  by   contrast   his   last 


James   Gilmour  103 

state  was  worse  than  the  first.  He  decided  that 
he  must  be  at  the  annual  meeting  of  his  mission 
which  was  to  be  held  in  Tientsin  in  189 1.  In 
glad  anticipation  he  made  special  preparation 
through  prayer  and  a  correspondence  looking 
toward  their  first  conference  of  native  workers. 
The  journey  down,  particularly  that  part  of  it 
over  the  newly  constructed  railroad,  was  thor- 
oughly enjoyed.  Gilmour  was  made  chairman 
of  the  gathering;  and  in  the  meetings  held  every 
evening  for  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life, 
also  conducted  by  him,  he  was  at  his  best.  It 
was  afterward  recalled  that  the  songs  which  he 
most  delighted  in  at  the  meetings  were  such  as 
^'O  Christ,  in  Thee  my  soul  hath  found,"  ''In 
the  shadow  of  His  wings  there  is  rest,  sweet  rest," 
"God  holds  the  key  of  all  unknown,"  and  "Some 
one  at  last  will  his  cross  lay  down."  Less  than 
a  fortnight  before  the  end  he  wrote  his  last  letter 
to  a  Kalgan  missionary,  in  which  occurs  this 
sentence,  "Lately  I  am  becoming  more  and  more 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  what  is  wanted  in 
China  is  not  new  'lightning  methods,'  so  much 
as  good,  honest,  quiet,  earnest,  persistent  work 
in  old  lines  and  ways."  The  unusual  burdens 
which  Gilmour  was  bearing,  added  to  heart 
weakness,  finally  culminated  in  an  eleven  days' 
attack  of  typhus  fever.  In  his  delirium  he  was 
again  on  the  Mongohan  plain,  Hving  out  his  old 
heroic    role;    or    else    he  was  addressing    most 


I04  Princely  Men 

earnestly  his  fellow-workers,  urging  them  to  a 
hfe  of  constant  waiting  on  God,  that  their  labors 
might  become  more  fruitful.  And  then  the  strug- 
gle ceased  and  on  Thursday,  May  21,  1891,  the 
lonely  wanderer  of  the  Mongolian  plateau  passed 
through  the  gates  into  the  city.  The  future  life 
had  been  so  real  to  him,  especially  since  his 
wife's  death,  that  heaven  was  not  so  great  a 
surprise  to  him  as  to  those  who  have  not  been 
living  in  heaven  from  day  to  day. 
The  Funeral,  Like  Mackenzie's  passing,  the  departure  of 
Gilmour  was  an  event  worthily  lamented.  A 
lovely  afternoon;  a  hymn  sheet  with  Bunyan's 
words  printed  on  it,  "The  pilgrim  they  laid  in 
an  upper  chamber  whose  window  opened  toward 
the  sunrising";  the  coffin  borne  by  relays  of 
bearers,  both  foreigners  and  native  friends; 
singing  by  the  Chinese  of  their  version  of  "In 
the  Christians  home  in  glory";  and  casting  into 
the  open  grave  by  Chinese  boys  of  the  flowers 
which  Gilmour  so  loved:  these  are  some  of  the 
features  of  an  occasion  which  meant  to  many  a 
new  inspiration  to  arise  and  fulfill  the  works 
which  a  man  of  heroic  mold  had  set  before 
them,  both  by  word  and  example. 
A  Wasted  The  reader  cannot  but  feel  inclined  to  say  that 
Life?  gQ  strenuous  a  life,  lived  for  those  who  were  so 
nearly  hopeless  from  a  spiritual  point  of  view, 
was  a  waste  of  force.  Even  his  own  associates 
and  his  Society  questioned  the  wisdom  of  his 


James  Gilmour  105 

continuing  in  a  field  so  sparsely  settled  and  so 
abounding  in  difficulties.  But  if  success  is  not 
measured  by  actual  conversions  and  is  viewed 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  builder  of  massive 
foundations  and  the  inspirer  of  others  with  apos- 
tolic ideals,  the  years  were  gloriously  spent.  He 
had,  like  his  Master,  trodden  the  wine  press 
alone,  and  of  the  people  there  were  very  few  with 
him.  And  also  like  Jesus,  he  preached  and 
lived  ideals  which  even  his  associates  could  not 
accept.  His  periods  of  fasting,  his  intense  rever- 
ence for  the  Sabbath  which,  however,  always  in- 
cluded its  right  use,  his  strong  position  with  refer- 
ence to  the  use  of  tobacco  and  liquor,  and  his 
gradual  rise  from  asceticism  to  a  life  singular  in 
its  imitation  of  Christ,  constitute  a  legacy  to 
every  missionary  and  a  stimulus  to  higher  living 
for  all  Christians. 

His  friend  and  biographer,  Richard  Lovett,  Still  Living. 
writes:  "Love,  self- crucifixion,  Jesus  Christ  fol- 
lowed in  adversity,  in  loneliness,  in  manifold 
perils,  under  almost  every  form  of  trial  and  hin- 
drance and  resistance,  both  active  and  passive, 
—  these  are  the  seeds  James  Gilmour  has  sown 
so  richly  on  the  hard  Mongohan  plain,  and  over 
its  eastern  mountains  and  valleys.  'In  due  time 
we  shall  reap,  if  we  faint  not.'  His  work  goes 
on.  .  .  .  Upon  us  who  yet  remain  rests  the 
responsibility  of  carrying  forward  the  work  he 
began,  of   re-enforcing  the  workers,  of  bearing 


io6  Princely    Men 

Mongolia  upon  our  prayers,  until  Buddhism  shall 
fade  away  before  the  pure  truth  and  the  perfect 
love  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  even  the  hard  and  un- 
responsive Mongols  come  to  recognize  the  truths 
James  Gilmour  so  long  and  faithfully  tried  to 
teach  them  —  that  they  need  the  Great  Physician 
even  more  than  they  need  the  earthly  doctor,  and 
that  He  is  more  able  and  willing  to  heal  the  hurt 
of  their  souls  than  the  earthly  physician  is  to 
remove  the  disease  of  their  bodies."  And  the 
work  is  literally  going  on.  While  the  London 
Missionary  Society  has  continued  the  enterprise, 
it  has  been  more  largely  cared  for  by  other  bodies 
of  Christians,  especially  on  the  grass  land.  The 
Boxer  Uprising  scattered  the  workers  and  Chris- 
tians, but  the  field  is  slowly  being  covered  again. 
Except  for  the  Chinese  settlers,  Mongolian  mis- 
sions will  always  be  difficult  to  carry  on;  but  the 
Church  is  never  without  heroic  souls  who  will  be 
the  lineal  successors  of  this  pioneer  and  of  that 
goodly  fellowship  of  old,  who  "died  in  faith,  not 
having  received  the  promises,  but  having  seen 
them  and  greeted  them  from  afar,  and  having 
confessed  that  they  were  strangers  and  pilgrims 
on  the  earth." 


aCs  yri^^-^tn^^^^ 


JOHN    LIVINGSTON 
NEVIUS 

THE   CHRISTIAN   ORGANIZER 

Born  between  Ovid  and  Lodi,  N.  Y.,  March  4,  1829 

Died  at  Chefoo,  China,  October  19,  1893 

THE    MISSIONARY'S    REWARD 

"  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  gloryuig?  Are  not  even  ye, 
before  our  Lord  Jesus  at  his  coming  ?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  our  joy." 
—  I  Thessalonians  2  :  ig,  20  ;  last  verses  read  and  commented  upon  by  Dr. 
Nevius  on  the  morning  of  his  death. 

METHODS   AND    GOD 

"  Let  us  bear  in  mind  that  the  best  methods  can  not  do  away  with  the  diffi- 
culties in  our  work,  which  come  from  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  ;  but 
bad  methods  may  multiply  and  intensify  them.  For  unavoidable  difficul- 
ties we  are  not  responsible  ;  for  those  which  arise  from  disregard  of  the 
teachings  of  Scripture  and  experience  we  are.  Let  us  also  remember  that, 
while  in  undertaking  the  momentous  task  committed  to  us.  we  should  by 
the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  prayer  for  divine  guidance,  and  comparison  of 
our  varied  views  and  experiences,  seek  to  know  what  is  the  best  method  of 
work,  still  the  best  method  without  the  presence  of  our  Master  and  the 
Spirit  of  all  truth  will  be  unavailing."  —  Dr.  Nevius  in  "  Methods  of 
Mission  Work." 

"THAT   THEY   MAY   ALL   BE   ONE" 

"  In  our  present  position  of  missionaries  representing  different  branches 
of  the  Church,  closely  related  to  one  another  in  a  common  work,  our  meth-^ 
ods  simple  and  presenting  many  points  of  agreement,  and  our  different  sys- 
tems of  organization  in  a  rudimental,  undeveloped  state,  sliould  we  not 
make  use  of  our  opportunity  to  avoid  as  far  as  possible  in  the  future  the 
divergences  which  impair  the  unity  and  efficiency  of  the  Church  at  home, 
retaining  and  perpetuating  a  degree  of  uniformity  and  co-operation  which 
in  Western  lands  seems  impracticable  ?  Is  it  not  our  duty  to  do  this  ? 
Would  it  not  be  in  accordance  with  the  express  teaching  of  our  Savior  and 
also  with  the  wishes  of  most  of  those  whom  we  represent?  Would  it  not 
have  a  decided  influence  for  good  on  the  home  churches?"  —  Dr.  Nevius 
m  "  Methods  of  Mission  Work." 


CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST    OF   EVENTS    IN  ' 

NEVIUS'S    LIFE  ; 

1829.  Born  between  Ovid  and  I.odi,  New  York,  March  4. 

1845.  Entered  Union  College  as  sophomore,  September.  ' 

1848.  Graduated  from  Union  College. 

1849.  Went  to  Georgia  to  teach,  October. 

His  conversion.  ; 
1850-53.     Studied  theology  at  Princeton  Seminary. 
1853.     Decides  to  become  a  foreign  missionary,  March.               _                                       ■       I 

Appointed  to  China  under  the  Presbyterian  Board,  April  18. 

Marries  Helen  S.  Coan,  June  15. 

Sailed  from  Boston  for  China,  September  19. 
1857.     Powerful  revivalin  Nevius's  station  of  San-poh. 

1859.     The  Neviuses  go  to  Hang-chow  as  pioneers,  February.  i 

Obliged  to  leave  the  city,  August.  < 

i860.     Transferred  to  Kanagawa,  Japan,  June  (?)  ■ 

1861.     Returned  to  China,  February.  ! 

Transferred  to  the  Province  of  Shantung,  May.  " 
1863.     Visits  Amoy,  Hongkong,  Canton. 
1864-68.     Furlough  in  Europe  and  the  United  States. 

1848.     First  edition  of  "  China  and  the  Chinese  "  mainly  written.  j 

1869.     Union  College  confers  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  ' 

1877.     Engages  in  the  work  of  famine  relief,  February  to  June.  ] 

1881.     Second  furlough,  spent  in  the  United  States,  March,  to  August,  1S82.  ■ 

1890.     Chosen  American  Chairman  of  Second  General  Missionary  Confer-  j 

ence,  Shanghai.  i 

Last  furlough  in  the  United  States,  August,  to  September,  1892.  j 

1893.     Died  at  Chefoo,  China,  October  19.  ' 


IV 


JOHN    LIVINGSTON    NEVIUS 

The   Christian   Organizer 

Whether  the  Neviuses  were  descended  from  A  Dutch 
the  Latin  poet  Cn.  Naevius  may  be  doubtful,  Ancestry, 
despite  confirming  legends ;  yet  there  is  no 
question  as  to  the  Dutch  ancestry  of  John  Liv- 
ingston Nevius.  His  first  American  progenitor, 
Johannes  Nevius,  migrated  from  Holland  before 
1652,  and  became  a  schepen,  or  alderman,  of  New- 
Amsterdam  in  1654.  Later,  as  Clerk  of  the 
Court  of  Burgomasters,  he  received  permission, 
as  his  "spoils,"  to  sow  grain  on  the  unappropri- 
ated fields  about  the  City  Hall,  in  which  he 
lived,  and  to  pasture  his  cows  on  the  State 
House  lawn.  Genealogical  tables  of  succeeding 
generations  are  monotonous  iterations  of  John, 
Peter  (or  Petrus),  John  P.,  Peter  P.,  until  in  the 
eighth  generation  the  original  Johannes  became 
John  Livingston  for  the  benefit  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Our  missionary  did  not  inherit  the  ancestral  Early  Years. 
acres  on  Wall  Street,  New  York,  but  instead  he 
first  saw  the  light  in  the  beautiful  "  Lake  Coun- 
109 


no  Princely   Men 

try  "  of  the  Empire  State.  Between  the  towns 
of  Ovid  and  Lodi,  on  March  4,  1829,  Benjamin 
Nevius  and  Mary  Denton,  his  wife,  rejoiced  over 
the  advent  of  a  babe  who  was  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  foremost  missionaries  in  a  great 
Oriental  empire.  Though  his  father  was  a 
splendid  horseman,  a  martial  officer  of  militia, 
and  above  all  a  very  genuine  fighter  in  the  ranks 
of  temperance  reform  and  a  champion  and  active 
promoter  of  Sunday-schools,  his  early  death  de- 
prived the  boy  of  a  father's  helpful  influence. 
His  mother,  however,  was  a  veritable  Monica  to 
him,  and  until  their  conversion  she  never  ceased 
to  labor  and  pray  for  the  salvation  of  her  two 
sons.  Her  second  marriage  to  Mr.  Eastman 
broke  up  the  family  life  for  a  time,  and  hence  his 
grandfather's  home  and  his  example  as  a  worthy 
Dutch  Reformed  elder  were  potent  factors  in 
answering  his  mother's  prayers.  A  precocious 
boy  at  school,  willful  and  envious,  and  always 
ready  for  a  quarrel  with  his  brother  Reuben, 
giving  religion  serious  thought  at  seven  only  to 
decide  not  to  embrace  it  until  fourteen,  delight- 
ing enough  in  a  horse  to  be  a  centaur,  glorying 
in  the  prospect  of  some  day  owning  a  real  gun, 
and  rambling  and  roving  by  the  banks  of  Seneca 
Lake,  the  boy  grew  into  the  youth,  with  little  to 
suggest  his  later  career. 
Nevius's  Ovid  Academy  gave  John  and  his  inseparable 
Education,  brother  that  outlook  into  life  and  the  world  of 


John   Livingston  Nevius  m 

knowledge  that  was  typified  by  the  view  over 
nine  counties  that  one  could  get  who  took  the 
trouble  to  climb  the  Academy  belfry.  Those 
far-away  prospects  also  ministered  to  that  love  of 
scenery  and  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  which  was 
a  marked  characteristic  of  the  man.  Entering 
Union  College  as  a  sophomore  in  1845,  he  grad- 
uated three  years  later,  after  having  diversified 
his  college  work  with  teaching  and  engaging  in 
the  social  life  of  the  young  people  in  a  way  that 
would  suggest  that  "  good  times  "  were  an  im. 
portant  object  in  life,  and  that  his  words  to  his 
brother  soon  after  graduation  were  a  true  record 
of  much  of  his  past :  "We  have  thus  far  fooled 
away  our  time.  If  we  ever  do  anything  in  this 
world,  we  must  begin  living  on  a  new  system." 

Nevius 's  mother  was  deeply  disappointed  that  In  the 
neither  of  her  sons  had  become  Christians,  and  ^°"*^' 
that  a  favorite  desire  of  hers  could  not  be  real- 
ized, she  having  hoped  that  they  would  enter  the 
ministry.  As  John  thought  he  was  too  young 
to  decide  upon  a  profession,  he  determined  to  go 
to  the  South,  as  did  many  Northern  graduates 
before  the  Rebellion,  and  there  try  his  powers 
in  the  work  of  teaching.  In  this  he  succeeded 
admirably  ;  moreover,  that  year  in  Georgia  was 
the  turning-point  in  his  religious  life.  Before 
leaving  home  his  thoughts  had  been  directed 
toward  his  relations  to  God,  and  in  the  lone- 
liness   of  a  far-away  land  he  was  led  into  the 


112  Princely   Men 

light.  A  happier  mother  can  not  be  imagined 
than  John's  when  she  received  the  glad  news, 
especially  as  almost  at  the  same  time  Reuben 
Nevius  also  gave  himself  to  God.  The  two 
brothers  and  their  mother  were  ever  after  very 
helpful  to  one  another  in  the  Christian  life, 
though  Reuben's  devotion  to  Episcopacy  was  a 
damper  to  John's  Presbyterian  enthusiasm. 
At  the  Leaving  his  Southern  friends  and  a  successful 
Seminary,  ^qj-]^  ^g  teacher,  Nevius  turned  away  from  the 
law  to  which  he  inclined,  and  from  dreams  of 
wealth  and  distinction,  in  order  to  prepare  for 
the  ministry.  Entering  Princeton  Seminary  in 
December,  1850,  the  work  of  preparation  for 
his  chosen  calling  was  energetically  undertaken. 
The  resolutions  which  he  formed,  after  the 
fashion  of  his  day,  reveal  a  conscientiousness  and 
realization  of  his  need  that  account  for  much  in 
his  later  career.  He  was  a  faithful  student,  a 
fairly  active  worker  in  churches  and  communi- 
ties to  which  he  ministered  as  a  supply,  and  he 
had  an  ear  ever  open  to  God's  call. 
Life  Princeton  has  always  emphasized  the  work  of 
Decision,  niissions,  and  his  letters  and  diary  abound  in 
references  to  missionary  meetings,  missionaries, 
the  visits  of  a  missionary  secretary,  and  his  own 
attitude  toward  missionary  service.  The  logic 
of  facts  finally  drove  him  to  give  his  life  to 
foreign  missions,  a  decision  reached  in  March  of 
his  senior  year  in  the  Seminary.      He  writes  to 


John   Livingston   Nevius  113 

his  fiancee:  "I  am  sure  that  my  motives  are 
not  mercenary  or  selfish,  for  I  should  have  pre- 
ferred the  most  humble  place  at  home;  nor 
ambitious,  for  I  do  feel  that  I  am  so  poorly 
prepared  for  the  work  before  me  that,  among 
such  men  as  we  have  in  the  foreign  field,  I  shall 
fall  far  short  of  ever  being  *  distinguished.'  I 
do  not  think,  either,  that  the  '  credit '  of  the 
world  had  anything  to  do  with  forming  my 
decision.  I  beheve  I  have  been  driven  to  the 
determination  to  be  a  missionary  by  a  solemn 
and  increasingly  oppressive  sense  of  duty  taught 
me  by  God's  Word  and  the  call  of  Providence 
and  the  Church  and  God's  Spirit.  I  feel  that 
few  have  been  so  much  blessed  and  are  so  much 
indebted  to  God  as  I  am,  and  I  desire  to  con- 
secrate my  all  to  Him.  I  think  I  have  been 
able,  without  any  regard  to  plans  and  prefer- 
ences of  my  own,  to  say,  '  Lord,  where  wilt  Thou 
have  me  to  go .? ' "  The  following  month, 
Nevius  was  appointed  a  missionary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board,  and  was  designated  to 
China. 

A    quiet     home    wedding    united    Nevius    to  Marriage 
Helen   S.   Coan,  whom  he  had  known  and  ad-  and  Voyage 
mired  from  her  girlhood,  and  who  still  carries  *°  ^^'"^' 
on  his  work  in  China.     A  wretched  sailing-ship, 
the  ''Bombay,"  carried  the  happy  pair  to  their 
new  home  in  a  palatial  stateroom  six  feet  long 
and  three  and  a  half  feet  wide!     Head  winds, 


114  Princely   Men 

storms,  calms,  when  the  old  East  India  trader 
was  "a  painted  ship  upon  a  painted  ocean,"  and 
finally,  after  six  months  of  discomfort,  a  dan- 
gerous landing  among  the  men-of-war  and  rebels 
who  had  closed  in  upon  Shanghai,  were  experi- 
ences which  prepared  the  young  missionaries 
for  those  early  years  when  the  T'ai  P'ing  Re- 
bellion kept  them  always  on  the  alert. 
Early  Life  at  This  '*  City  of  the  Peaceful  Wave  "  is  a  large 
N/ngpo  Fu.  ^^^  important  place  on  about  the  same  parallel 
of  latitude  as  New  Orleans,  and  its  population 
is  only  a  little  larger  than  that  of  its  American 
counterpart.  The  Neviuses  took  up  their  abode 
for  a  time  with  resident  members  of  their  Board  ; 
for  already  this  place  had  been  occupied  by  such 
well-known  missionaries  as  Dr.  McCartee,  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  Japan  and  China,  Matthew 
Culbertson,  the  talented  West  Pointer  and  one 
of  the  translators  of  the  Bible  into  the  Classical, 
and  Walter  Lowrie,  the  victim  of  Chinese 
pirates.  While  Nevius  did  not  regard  himself 
as  having  any  genius  for  language  study,  which 
at  first  occupied  his  time,  he  atoned  for  that 
lack  by  laborious  and  persistent  application. 
For  ten  years  he  did  not  read  one  English  book 
except  theological  works  and  commentaries,  so 
determined  was  he  to  gain  adequate  mastery  of 
Chinese.  The  simple  style,  ample  vocabulary, 
and  absorption  of  the  "  flavor  "  of  the  language, 
which  marked  his  later  speech  and  writings,  go 


John  Livingston   Nevius  115 

to  prove  that  linguistic  genius  is  largely  made 
up  of  hard  work  and  persistent  strivings  after 
perfection  in  minor  details.  At  the  end  of  nine 
months  Nevius  was  able  to  do  considerable 
work  in  the  street  chapel,  while  at  the  expiration 
of  a  year  h<^  traveled  about  and  preached  as 
circumstances  required.  But  the  Neviuses  did 
something  besides  study.  There  was  little  ad- 
vantage in  continuous  work  on  the  language,  as 
six  or  eight  hours  a  day  suffice  to  exhaust  the 
brain.  Walking  and  riding  in  the  neighborhood, 
thus  enabling  them  to  enjoy  Ningpo's  beautiful 
hill  scenery  and  to  get  glimpses  of  Chinese  life, 
visiting  neighboring  sacred  places,  and  early 
attempts  at  touring,  gave  variety  and  interest  to 
life.  If  adventure  was  desired,  they  found  it  in 
the  feud  between  the  Portuguese  and  Cantonese 
colonies  of  the  city,  which  led  to  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  place  by  the  former  and  their  san- 
guinary massacre  by  the  Chinese  a  few  years 
later.  Christian  union  between  the  missionaries 
of  different  societies  laboring  in  Ningpo,  and 
delightful  fellowship  in  various  tours  and  trips, 
revealed  to  Nevius  the  meaning  of  the  creed 
article,  "I  believe  in  the  communion  of  saints." 

During  the  second  year  in  China,  Nevius  was  A  Church 
chosen  pastor  of  the  Ningpo  church.     He  also  '"  Pi^'^on. 
itinerated  considerably,  though  the  San-poh  field 
was  the  one  upon  which   he  spent  most   time. 
It  was  in  connection  with  it  that  a  company  of 


Ii6  Princely  Men 

prisoners  became  deeply  interested,  one  of  whom 
he  baptized.  The  work  began  through  the 
efforts  of  a  carpenter  who  imparted  the  Gospel 
to  the  head  prisoner,  a  man  who  was  there 
through  no  crime  of  his  own,  but  because  he 
had  consented  to  expiate  the  guilt  of  another. 
This  baptism  administered  in  "  hell,"  as  these 
places  are  sometimes  called,  created  a  strong 
impression  on  the  other  prisoners,  ten  of  whom 
became  inquirers.  The  result  was  a  reformation 
in  the  prison,  and  the  passing  of  gambling,  curs- 
ing, and  idleness.  When  later  the  rebels  cap- 
tured the  city,  the  prisoners  were  freed,  and 
their  converted  leader  was  made  an  officer  in 
the  rebel  army.  Later  still,  he  became  a  re- 
spected and  useful  member  of  the  San-poh  dis- 
trict. 
Transferred  During  part  of  the  period  just  mentioned, 
*°  Mrs.  Nevius  had  been  in  the  United  States,  her 
°  health,  which  was  always  frail,  having  demanded 
a  furlough.  Returning  to  China,  they  were  soon 
sent  to  Hang-chow  to  open  up  a  work  for  their 
church  in  the  capital  of  this  important  province. 
So  delightful  is  this  place  that  it  is  inwrought 
into  the  well-known  proverb,  "  Above  is  heaven  ; 
below  are  Su-chow  and  Hang-chow.'*  But  it 
^  was  not  a  heavenly  place  to  reside  in,  as  the 
*'  red-haired  devil "  missionaries  soon  found. 
Rooms  were  easily  secured  at  a  monastery  some 
distance   outside  the  city,   a   place  which  was 


John  Livingston  Ncvms  117 

famous  because  its  monster  pagoda  was  supposed 
to  preserve  the  city  from  the  ravages  of  Hang- 
chow's  famous  tidal-bore.     Soon  this  place  was 
abandoned   for   rooms-  in  a  dilapidated   Taoist 
monastery  quite  within  the  walls  and  near  the 
populous  section  of  the  town,  yet  on  a  beautiful 
hill  with  charming  outlook.     For  a  time  all  went 
well,  as  Dr.  Nevius  was  wise  in  his  cultivation  of 
the  officials  through  an  interchange  of  calls  and 
presents.     But  soon  disaffection  was  noticeable, 
and   their   landlord   was    maltreated.      Officials 
desired  the  missionaries  to  leave  the  city.     As 
the  root  difficulty  seemed  to  be  the  defeat  of 
the  allied  forces  at  the  Taku  forts,  and  as  Amer- 
ican ships  were  not  in   the  engagement,  they 
declined  to  go.     Such  firmness  on  the  part  of 
one  foreigner  gave  rise  to  the  rumor  that  Nevius 
had  a  regiment  of  soldiers  drilling  on  the  hills 
near  their  temple.      Finally,  at  the  request  of 
the  United  States  consul,  they  reluctantly  de- 
parted.     Their   stay   had    not    been    fruitless. 
Several  persons  gave  evidence  of  true  faith  in 
Jesus,  among  them  a  most  interesting  woman 
named  Su.     For  years  she  had  been  longing  for 
just  such  a  religion  as  ours,  and  her  conversion 
opened  up  a  world  of  beauty  and  light  hitherto 
unimagined.     At  the  final  interview,  she  asked 
Mrs.  Nevius  two  typical  questions :    "  Do  tell 
me,  when   I  get  to  heaven,  shall   I  meet  my 
ancestors  there,  and  my  little  children  who  died 


Ii8  Princely   Men 

• 

years  ago  ?  You  know  my  ancestors  never 
heard  of  Jesus,  and  so  they  could  not  beUeve  in 
Him  ;  but  will  He  not  save  them,  notwithstand- 
ing?" Their  sorrow  over  their  enforced  with- 
drawal was  alleviated  by  the  fact  that  later  the 
T'ai-P'ing  rebels  captured  the  city  and  some 
twenty  thousand  people  were  butchered  most 
inhumanly,  while  the  Taoist  temple  was  burned 
to  the  ground,  with  the  exception  of  their  rooms, 
which  were  occupied  by  the  insurgent  com- 
mander. 

In  Japan.  Dr.  Nevius  returned  to  Ningpo  and  remained 
there,  resuming  charge  of  the  boys'  boarding- 
school,  untilin  June  of  i860  he  and  his  wife 
were  sent  to  Japan  by  the  Presbyterian  Board, 
in  order  to  aid  the  Hepburns  in  opening  a  work 
for  their  Church.  In  a  renovated  temple  at 
Kanagawa,  seventeen  miles  from  Tokyo,  the 
Neviuses  spent  some  seven  months.  Their 
permanent  appointment  was  so  problematical 
that  Httle  strength  was  given  to  studying 
Japanese.  Dr.  Nevius  thus  writes  of  these 
months :  "  Much  of  my  time  has  been  spent  in 
committing  to  memory  parts  of  the  Chinese 
Classics  and  learning  to  form  with  a  camel's-hair 
pen  a  few  thousand  characters.  I  have,  besides, 
written  out  in  Chinese  a  good-sized  manual  for 
the  direction  and  encouragement  of  our  native 
preachers,  to  be  called  *The  Disciples'  Guide.* 
I  am  also  working  up  the  material  for  a  '  Com- 


John   Livingston   Nevius  119 

pend  of  Systematic  Theology,'  a  book  which  is 

now  much  wanted.     I  wish  to  get  back  to  China 

as  soon  as  possible  to  superintend  the  printing 

of  these  books  and  take  advantage  of  openings 

which  may  occur  in  these  eventful  times."     As 

the  war  between  China  and  the  Western  Powers 

was  over,  and  as  the  claims  of  that  great  Empire 

seemed  paramount,  they  sailed  back  to  Shanghai 

in  February,  1861. 

The  three  months  following  Nevius' s  return  Teng-Chovt 

to  Ningpo  were  spent  in  a  revision  of  his  books.  ^"  ^"^ 
^,  .  ,  ,  ,  Chefoo. 

1  hree  native  teachers  were   kept  constantly  at 

work,  either  copying  or  reading  under  his  direc- 
tion. As  the  T'ai  P'ing  insurgents  had  made  a 
return  to  Hang-chow  impossible  for  the  time, 
and  as  the  Board  desired  to  occupy  stations  in 
Shantung,  China's  Holy  Land,  the  Neviuses 
were  sent  thither,  at  first  to  Teng-chow  Fu. 
This  city  is  located  at  the  apex  of  Shantung's 
camel-headed  promontory,  and  had  less  than  100,- 
000  inhabitants.  Yet  for  ten  years  it  was  Dr. 
Nevius's  headquarters,  except  for  a  home  fur- 
lough, a  winter  in  Ningpo  devoted  to  literary 
work,  seven  months  at  Hang-chow  teaching  a 
theological  class,  and  some  time  spent  in  tours  to 
the  five  open  ports,  and  up  the  Yang-tzu  River. 
During  the  last  twenty-two  years  of  his  life.  Dr. 
Nevius  made  his  home  at  the  port  of  Chefoo, 
his  house  being  a  well-known  landmark,  as  well 
as  a  haven  of  refuge  for  missionaries  and  others. 


I20  Princely  M 


en 


His  most  effective  work  was  thus  done  from 
these  two  centers,  and  the  remainder  of  this 
sketch  will  have  Shantung  as  its  background. 
The  Tai  At  the  outset  of  his  life  in  North  China  Dr. 
P'ings.  Nevius  gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  rebellions  in  history; 
though,  as  we  have  seen,  the  T'ai-P'ing  rebels  had 
already  once  and  again  interfered  with  his  plans. 
Within  a  year  or  two  of  Dr.  Morrison's  death, 
Milne's  first  convert,  Liang  A-fa,  had  given  to  a 
young  aspirant  for  a  literary  degree,  named 
Hung,  portions  of  Morrison's  Chinese  Bible 
and  also  some  Christian  tracts.  The  perusal  of 
these  and  an  attack  of  sickness  caused  Hung  to 
believe  that  he  had  personal  interviews  with  God 
and  Jesus ;  and  in  1 844  he  and  a  friend,  named 
Fung,  started  out  to  propagate  the  religion 
which  they  had  evolved  from  the  Bible  and 
native  belfefs.  Subsequently  Hung  studied 
Christianity  under  Mr.  Roberts,  an  American 
Baptist  missionary,  and  desired  baptism  and 
employment  as  preacher.  As  his  request  was 
regarded  as  mercenary,  it  was  not  granted  ;  and 
the  poor  country  school-teacher  went  away  to 
organize  in  time  the  "  God-worshipers,"  and,  later, 
to  set  up  the  T'ai  P'ing  T'ien  Kuo,  or  Great 
Peace  Heavenly  Kingdom.  In  the  days  of  its 
early  prosperity,  the  rebel  camp  was  as  religious 
as  that  of  Cromwell  or  Gustavus  Adolphus.  Dr. 
Nevius  writes  of   it :    "  Religious  worship   was 


John  Livingston  Nevius  121 

kept  up  in  the  camp.  The  Sabbath  was  ob- 
served, the  day  chosen  by  them  being  our  Satur- 
day, or  the  Jewish  Sabbath.  The  Scriptures 
were  read  and  expounded  according  to  their 
understanding  of  them  ;  prayers  were  offered ; 
hymns  and  doxologies  were  sung  in  honor  of  the 
Triune  God ;  and  eloquent  preachers  exhorted 
the  multitude,  urging  them  to  honor  and  obey 
God,  to  be  faithful  to  His  vicegerent,  the  new 
Emperor,  and  to  fight  bravely  for  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Heavenly  Dynasty,  promising  posi- 
tions of  honor  and  influence  in  the  new  state,  as 
well  as  eternal  blessedness  in  heaven.  It  is 
said  that  before  battle  they  often  knelt  down 
under  the  open  heaven  and  invoked  the  protec- 
tion and  assistance  of  the  Heavenly  Father,  and 
then  charged  upon  their  enemies  with  the  assur- 
ance of  success."  Mr.  Roberts  accepted  a 
position  under  his  former  disciple,  but  as  he 
could  not  prevent  the  excesses  and  rank  heresies 
into  which  the  movement  speedily  ran,  he  left 
the  T'ai  P'ings  in  disgust.  For  a  time  it  seemed 
as  if  the  reigning  dynasty  would  be  overthrown 
by  the  rebels  and  the  Empire  become  nominally 
Christian.  After  almost  reaching  the  capital  it- 
self, the  rebellion  was  quelled,  thanks  to  the 
assistance  of  foreigners,  especially  Ward,  the 
Massachusetts  man,  who  raised  up  for  the 
imperialists  the  "  Ever- Victorious  Army,"  and 
Chinese  Gordon,  who  led  it  on  to  ultimate  victory. 


il2  Princely   Men 

Teng-Chow  Before  the  Neviuses  were  fully  settled  in 
Threatened.  Xeng-chow  Fu,  they  found  themselves  shut  in 
by  the  T'ai  P'ings.  The  people  so  greatly  feared 
an  attack  upon  the  city  that  the  gates  were  shut 
and  barricaded,  though  thousands  fleeing  from 
the  rebels  were  drawn  up  the  city  wall  by  ropes 
and  so  were  saved  from  awful  death.  Thousands 
of  ownerless  mules  and  donkeys,  unable  to 
enter  this  place  of  refuge,  ran  wildly  about,  per- 
plexed at  their  unwonted  freedom.  At  night 
the  red  glare  of  the  clouds  told  of  villages  burnt, 
while  the  sights  that  Dr.  Nevius  witnessed  in  a 
run  outside  during  the  temporary  raising  of  the 
siege  told  of  the  horrors  of  the  time.  In  one 
place  he  saw  half  a  dozen  well-dressed  women 
dead  by  the  roadside,  having  been  dragged  over 
the  ground  by  ropes  noosed  about  their  necks, 
while  nestling  close  by  their  sides  were  several 
children,  who  had  starved  to  death.  Some  vic- 
tims had  been  hacked  to  pieces,  others  were 
burned,  and  multitudes  who  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing Teng-chow  walked  the  streets  with  heads 
apparently  half-severed  from  their  bodies,  while 
wounds  and  bruises  made  them  revolting  specta- 
cles. Although  two  missionaries  at  Chefoo  lost 
their  lives  at  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  the  Nevi- 
uses escaped,  greatly  as  they  suffered  from  the 
gruesome  sights  and  sounds. 
The  Nevius  As  Dr.  Nevius  is  chiefly  noted  for  his  plan  of 
Plan,     i^-jission  work,  which  has  been  variously  modified 


John   Livingston   Nevius  123 

in  other  mission  lands,  it  should  precede  an  ac- 
count of  his  labors  in  organizing  and  founding 
groups  of  believers.  For  a  full  account  of  it, 
his  *'  Methods  of  Mission  Work  "  must  be  read. 
The  main  differences  between  what  he  calls  the 
"  old  system  "  and  his  scheme  he  thus  states  : 
"  These  two  systems  may  be  distinguished  in 
general  by  the  former  depending  largely  on 
paid  native  agency,  while  the  latter  deprecates 
and  seeks  to  minimize  such  agency.  Perhaps 
an  equally  correct  and  more  generally  acceptable 
statement  of  the  difference  would  be  that,  while 
both  alike  seek  ultimately  the  estabUshment  of 
independent,  self-reliant,  and  aggressive  native 
churches,  the  old  system  strives  by  the  use  of 
foreign  funds  to  foster  and  stimulate  the  growth 
of  the  native  churches  in  the  first  stage  of  their 
development,  and  then  gradually  to  discontinue 
the  use  of  such  funds ;  while  those  who  adopt 
the  new  system  think  that  the  desired  object 
may  be  best  attained  by  applying  principles  of 
independence  and  self-reliance  from  the  begin- 
ning. •  The  difference  between  these  two  theories 
may  be  more  clearly  seen  in  their  outward  prac- 
tical working.  The  old  uses  freely  and  as  far 
as  practicable  the  more  advanced  and  intelligent 
of  the  native  church  members  in  the  capacity 
of  paid  colporteurs,  Bible  agents,  evangelists,  or 
heads  of  stations  ;  while  the  new  proceeds  on 
the  assumption  that   the  persons   employed   in 


114  Princely  Men 

these  various  capacities  would  be  more  useful  in 
the  end  by  being  left  in  their  original  homes  and 
employments.  The  relative  advantages  of  these 
two  systems  may  be  determined  by  two  tests,  — > 
adaptability  to  the  end  in  view,  and  Scripture 
authority."  Both  of  these  tests  in  Dr.  Nevius's 
opinion  proved  the  desirability  of  the  new  sys- 
tem, and  a  long  and  painful  experience  under 
the  old  method  caused  him  to  remain  ever  after 
the  advocate  of  the  new.  • 
Touring  In  noting  how  the  plan  worked,  let  us  accom- 
Outfit  pany  the  Doctor  on  an  initial  tour.  Unlike 
Mackay,  he  usually  went  without  helpers,  other 
than  those  necessary  for  caring  for  his  physical 
wants,  though  much  of  the  time  in  his  later 
years  he  was  accompanied  by  an  associate  mis- 
sionary. He  rides  on  horseback,  or  else  he  and 
his  colleague  occupy  each  one-half  of  his  famous 
spring  wheelbarrow,  a  vehicle  which  he  thus  de- 
scribes: "My  barrow  is  a  platform  about  six 
feet  long  and  four  wide,  with  a  wheel  in  the 
middle  and  handles  at  both  ends.  I  have  in  it 
now  four  large  bundles  of  books  for  distribution, 
a  few  foreign  stores,  and  my  little  portable 
kitchen,  which  weighs,  with  its  kettles,  dishes, 
etc.,  about  fifty-five  pounds.  All  together,  my- 
self, my  clothes  and  bedding,  etc.,  weigh  about 
500  pounds."  A  horse  or  mule  attached  in 
front,  with  two  barrow-men,  one  supporting  the 
handles  and  the  other  to  steady  it  and  drive  the 


o 
H 

h 

Z 

O 


John  Livingston  Nevius  125 

animal,  make  up  his  outfit  and  force.  A  foreign 
carriage,  which  he  had  had  made  to  order,  proved 
a  mirth-provoking  failure  and  had  to  be  given  up. 

Arrived  at  the  town  to  be  evangelized,  the  Reaching 
advent  of  a  "red-haired  man"  or  a  ''white  devil"  "  T(>^"- 
is  loudly  proclaimed,  and  the  whole  town  is 
thrown  into  excitement.  "Women  forget  the 
proprieties  of  social  life,  and  mingle  in  the  jos- 
tling crowd  to  catch  sight  of  the  strange  appari- 
tion. Schools  are  emptied  at  once  of  pupils 
and  teacher,  and  business  is  suspended  for  a 
time  in  the  shops.  A  few  of  the  more  staid  and 
respectable  citizens  look  on  and  smile  at  the 
excited  multitudes.  We  take  our  stand  in  some 
open  z"^'^,  or  on  the  theatrical  stage  in  the  court 
of  a  temple,  and  are  soon  surrounded  by  an 
immense  crowd,  the  boys  shouting,  and  the  men 
making  more  noise  than  the  boys  in  their  vain 
efforts  to  keep  them  still.  Everything  con- 
nected with  us  is  an  object  of  curiosity,  —  the 
color  of  our  eyes  and  hair,  the  material  of  which 
our  clothes  are  made ;  and  those  who  can  get 
near  enough  are  examining  with  their  eyes  and 
fingers,  boots,  coats,  buttons,  shirt -bosoms,  etc. 
After  a  few  moments,  by  the  uplifting  of  the 
hand  and  the  utterance  of  a  few  familiar  words, 
the  audience  is  in  a  measure  quieted,  and  all  are 
intent  on  hearing  what  the  unexpected  visitor 
has  to  say."  After  speaking  of  the  difficulty  of 
making  Christian  truth  clear  through  the  medium 


126  Princely   Men 

of  an  unspiritual  or  Buddhistic  vocabulary,  Dr. 
Nevius  adds:  "We  feel  that  we  have  accom- 
plished much  if  we  can  leave  behind  us  the 
thought  of  the  unity,  or  the  omnipresence,  or 
the  love  of  God,  or  of  salvation  by  a  Redeemer ; 
for  these  ideas,  once  lodged  in  the  human  mind, 
are  vital  germs  which  will  develop  and  grow, 
and,  in  process  of  time,  bring  forth  their  appro- 
•  priate  fruit.'*  It  may  be  that  in  a  single  day 
Nevius  would  visit  twenty  villages  or  towns, 
preaching  to  the  people  from  horseback,  and 
then  need  to  spend  an  hour  in  the  evening  at 
his  stopping-place,  before  the  curiosity  of  the 
people  would  be  sufficiently  satisfied  to  permit 
him  to  enter  the  inn  for  food  and  rest. 
The  Station.  Having  repeatedly  visited  a  town  or  village 
some  two  or  more  persons  become  interested, 
and  finally  conversions  occur.  Immediately  sys- 
tematic training  begins.  A  very  small  force 
of  paid  helpers  itinerate  through  a  group  of  such 
places,  instructing  the  people  as  far  as  is  pos- 
sible during  the  week  he  is  at  a  place.  The 
strongest  person  in  a  given  village  becomes  the 
leader  of  its  converts  and  inquirers.  A  valuable 
book  prepared  by  Dr.  Nevius  for  the  purpose, 
and  entitled  "  Manual  for  Inquirers,"  enables 
these  leaders  to  conduct  the  work  with  consider- 
able efficiency, 
Sunday  at  On  Sunday  some  such  scene  as  he  thus  de- 
a  Station,  scribes  might  be  witnessed  in  most  of  his  sixty 


John  Livingston  Nevius  127 

stations :  "  The  form  of  exercise,  both  morning 
and  afternoon,  consists  of  four  parts :  First,  a 
kind  of  informal  Sunday-school,  in  which  every 
person  present  is  expected,  with  the  superinten- 
dence of  the  leader  and  those  mider  him,  to 
prosecute  his  individual  studies,  whether  learn- 
ing the  Chinese  character,  committing  to  memory 
passages  of  Scripture,  telHng  Scripture  stories, 
or  studying  the  catechism  or  Scripture  question- 
books.      Second,    we    have    the    more    formal 
service  of  worship,  consisting  of  singing,  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures,  with  a  few  explanations  or 
exhortations,  and  prayer,  the  whole  occupying 
not  more  than  three-quarters  of  an  hour.    Third, 
we   have   the   Scripture-story  exercise.      Some 
one  previously  appointed  tells  the  story;    the 
leader  of  the  meeting  then   calls  on  different 
persons,  one  after  another,  to  reproduce  it  in 
consecutive  parts,  and  afterward,  all  present  take 
part  in  drawing  practical  lessons  and  duties  from 
it.      There   is  never  time   for  more  than  one 
story,  and  often  that  one  has  to  be  divided,  and 
has  two  Sundays  given  to  it.     Fourth,  if  there 
is  time,  a  catechetical  exercise  follows  in  which 
all  unite,  designed  to  bring  out  more  clearly  the 
meaning  of  what  they  have  already  learned, — 
as  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ten  Commandments, 
select  passages  of    Scripture,   or  some   special 
subject,  such  as  the  duty  of  benevolence,  etc. 
This  general  order  of  exercises  is  modified  or 


•ia8  Princely  Men 

varied  when  the  circumstances  of  a  station  make 
it  advisable  that  it  should  be."  The  chapels 
where  these  exercises  are  held  are  provided  by 
the  people  themselves,  often  being  part  of  an 
ordinary  dwelling,  thus  illustrating  the  Pauline 
phrase,  *'the  church  in  the  house." 
Training  It  is  evident  that  station  leaders  need  further 
Classes,  instruction ;  hence  a  select  number  of  them 
came  to  Chefoo  for  six  weeks  or  so  in  the  sum- 
mer, and  again  in  the  winter,  when  touring  was 
omitted.  During  this  time  they  were  the  guests 
of  Dr.  Nevius.  The  studies  pursued  are  mainly 
scriptural,  with  elementary  instruction  in  astron- 
omy, geography,  history,  and  general  knowledge. 
The  instruction  is  mainly  catechetical,  and 
reviews  were  emphasized.  Music  was  made 
prominent,  Mrs.  Nevius  doing  most  of  this  work. 
Members  of  these  classes  understood  that  the 
instruction  thus  freely  given  constituted  an  obli- 
gation to  impart  it  as  freely  to  others. 
Higher  As  the  policy  was  to  have  the  same  persons 
Training  j-eturn  to  Chefoo  again  and  again,  they  event- 
ually gained  such  familiarity  with  the  Scriptures 
that  they  could  carry  on  their  studies  at  home 
with  the  aid  of  commentaries,  etc.  They  were 
thus  ready  to  enter  upon  a  theological  course, 
probably  such  a  one  as  Dr.  Nevius  advocated 
before  he  gave  himself  fully  to  the  new  system. 
He  had  already,  in  his  earlier  life,  taught  in  such 
a  class,  and  for  years  he  had  given  much  time 


John  Livingston  Nevius  129  | 

i 

to  the  preparation  of  a  "  Compendium  of  Theol- 
ogy/' which   would  have  served  admirably  for  ! 
theological  work.     Perhaps  one  strong  criticism  ■ 
of   his  new  scheme,  namely,   that  his  stations 
never  got  beyond  the  rudiments  of  Christianity, 
as  it  is  claimed  would  have  been  the  case  with 
properly  trained    helpers  appointed  over  them, 
would  have  been  met,  had  he  lived  long  enough 
to   organize    a   modified    theological    seminary, 
more   practical   in   its    character  than  the  one                         I 
argued  for  in  1862.                                                                        ] 

The  Nevius  plan  not  only  provided  for  carry-  Station 
ing  on  work  at  a  given  station  with  a  minimum  f'f'op^9(^*'on.       j 
of  oversight  and  aid  from  without,  but  it  also  | 

included  a  provision  for  extending  the  work. 
The  new  offshoot  is  a  natural  growth.  "  When 
a  man  becomes  a  Christian,"  Dr.  Nevius  writes,  | 

**  the  fact  is  known  through  the  whole  circle  of  j 

his  acquaintance,  male  and  female,  far  and  wide.  j 

It  is  generally  believed  that  his  mind  has  lost  1 

its   balance.     He   is    shunned  for  a  time,  but  ■ 

before   long   his  friends  visit  him,  either  from  j 

sympathy  or  curiosity.     They  find  him  in  appar-  j 

ently  a  normal  condition  and  working  quietly  in  j 

his  shop  or  on  his  farm,  and  are  curious  to  know  J 

what  this  new  departure  means.     An  opportu-  \ 

nity  is  thus  afforded  of  presenting  the  claims  of  j 

Christianity  as,  not  the  religion  of  the  foreigner,  \ 

but  the  true  religion  of  all  mankind.  The 
visitor  goes  home  and  thinks  about  the  matter 


I  JO  Princely   Men 

and  comes  again,  attends  service  on  Sunday,  is 
interested  in  the  truth,  makes  a  profession  of 
Christianity,  and,  in  process  of  time,  his  home 
becomes  a  new  propagating  center.  Stations 
started  in  this  manner  have  the  advantage  of  a 
natural  connection  v^ith  the  parent  station,  and 
they  are  nourished  and  supported  by  it  until 
they  are  strong  enough  to  have  the  connection 
severed  and  live  and  grow  independently." 
Foreign  One  great  object  which  the  Nevius  plan  had 
Money.  -^^  contemplation  was  to  avoid  the  evils  so  com- 
monly attendant  upon  the  use  of  foreign  money. 
His  objections  to  its  use  may  be  thus  summa- 
rized:  (i)  Making  paid  agents  of  new  converts 
affects  injuriously  the  stations  with  which  they 
are  connected,  since  it  removes  the  leading  spirit 
of  a  new  station  oftentimes.  Moreover,  it  makes 
other  Christians  in  the  station  dissatisfied.  (2) 
New  converts  are  often  injured  by  being  made 
paid  agents,  since  they  find  themselves  advanced 
to  a  position  for  which  they  are  ill-fitted,  or  else 
become  puffed  up  by  this  promotion.  (3)  Among 
people  who  are  adepts  in  dissembling,  the  temp- 
tation to  hypocrisy  for  the  sake  of  gain  is  too 
great  for  many,  and  it  becomes  difficult  to  judge 
between  the  false  and  the  true.  (4)  The  em- 
ployment system  tends  to  excite  a  mercenary 
spirit  and  to  increase  the  number  of  mercenary 
Christians.  (5)  It  also  tends  to  stop  the  vol- 
untary work  of   unpaid   agents.     If   money  is 


John  Livingston  Nevius  131 

given  others  for  this  service,  why  not  pay  me, 
and  if  I  am  not  paid,  why  should  I  continue  to 
labor  ?     (6)  The  use  of  foreign  money  likewise 
tends  to  lower  the  missionary  enterprise,  both 
in  the  eyes  of  foreigners  and  natives.     "The 
general   opinion   of  the    Chinaman   as   to   the 
motive  of  one  of  his  countrymen  in  propagating 
a  foreign  religion  is  that  it  is  a  mercenary  one. 
When  he  learns  that  the  native  preacher  is,  in 
fact,  paid  by  foreigners,  he  is  confirmed  in  his 
judgment.     What  the  motive  is  which  actuates 
the   foreign   missionary,  —  a   motive  so  strong 
that  he  is  willing  to  waste  life  and  money  in 
what  seems  a  fruitless  enterprise,  —  he  is  left  to 
imagine.     The  most  common  explanation  is  that 
it  is  a  covert  scheme  for  buying  adherents  with 
a  view  to  political  movements  inimical  to  the 
state."     While    Dr.    Nevius    admits   that    mis- 
understandings can  not  be  obviated  even  by  his 
own  scheme,  he  regards  them  as  reduced  to  a 
minimum  by  it. 

At  the  opposite  pole  from  the  employment  Self-support 
scheme  is  absolute  self-support,  —  at  least  so  far 
as  the  native  force  and  provision  for  the  ordinary 
needs  of  the  native  church  are  concerned.  Dr. 
Nevius  attempted  to  provide  something  for  con- 
verts to  do,  to  enable  them  to  better  their  finan- 
cial condition,  and  hence  to  aid  a  station  to  come 
to  a  position  of  self-support.  As  the  Catholic 
fathers  of    North  China  had  taught  their  con- 


132  Princely  Men 

verts  to  repair  watches,  do  silver-plating  and 
cloisonne-work,  raise  potatoes,  etc.,  so  in  Shan- 
tung, Dr.  Nevius  introduced  small  fruits,  espe- 
cially strawberries,  and  various  fruit-trees.  He 
also  imported  Jersey  cows  to  improve  the 
wretched  milk  supply  of  the  country,  the  native 
cows  being  essentially  heathen  in  their  unwilling- 
ness to  contribute  to  aliens  the  product  of  their 
rumination.  The  setting  of  full  tires  on  wheels 
was  also  introduced  for  the  first  time  into  this 
section  of  China  by  Dr.  Nevius.  All  these  at- 
tempts contributed  very  little  to  directly  aid  in 
the  solution  of  the  problem  of  self-support ;  yet 
his  management  of  the  sixty  stations  under  his 
care,  and  his  constant  advocacy  of  financial  in- 
dependence of  the  native  church,  effected  much 
in  his  own  field.  In  the  matter  of  direct  money 
contribution  for  church  work,  the  scheme  never 
yielded  large  results. 
Criticisms.  While  the  plan  of  these  sketches  does  not 
permit  of  a  criticism  of  the  lives  portrayed,  it 
would  be  an  injustice  to  the  majority  of  mission- 
aries in  China,  who  onl/  partially  agreed  with 
Dr.  Nevius,  not  to  add  a  single  word.  It  is  de- 
sirable that  any  who  are  especially  interested  in 
this  phase  of  mission  economics  should  consult 
not  only  the  book  from  which  we  have  been 
quoting,  but  they  should  also  carefully  read  a 
reply  to  it  written  by  Rev.  C.  M.  Mateer,  D.D., 
a  fellow-worker  of  Dr.  Nevius  in  the  same  prov- 


John    Livingston   Nevius  133 

ince.  The  general  feehng  of  the  missionary 
body  is  that  the  scheme  did  not  accompHsh  all  that 
it  promised,  even  under  so  magnetic  and  able 
a  man  as  its  author ;  that  while  it  might  be  a 
good  plan  during  the  initial  stages  of  a  work,  it  ^ 

did  not  make  provision  for  the  early  transition 
from  that  position  to  the  ideal  which  is  aimed 
at,  when  each  church  has  over  it  a  native  pastor 
who  has  been  fully  prepared  for  leadership  in 
developing  the  spiritual  life ;  and-^hat  in  argu- 
ing for  his  scheme  he  failed  to  do  justice  to 
advocates  of  the  so-called  old  method,  especially 
in  that  he  does  not  appear  to  see  the  remedy  for 
some  of  its  difficulties  in  the  old  system  itself, 
if  cared  for  by  a  missionary  of  ordinary  intelli- 
gence. 

Just  as  Confucianism,  the  most  perfect  of  the  /ts 
non-Christian  ethical   systems,   finds  its  fairest  ^^''''^e. 
fruitage,  not  in  China,  its  home,  but  in  the  Jap- 
anese men  of  the  educated  classes  who  are  now 
passing  off  the  stage,  so  this  system  has  been  ' 

most  successful  outside  the  Middle  Kingdom. 
Northern  Korea's  miraculous  work  is  very 
largely  due  to  the  modification  of  the  Nevius 
plan,  which  his  presence  in  that  Empire  inspired  i 

the  missionaries  to  take  up  ;  so,  too,  the  Laos 
workers  are  reaping  the  fruits  of  his  methods, 
not  to  speak  of  less  conspicuous  cases  of  its  suc- 
cessful application.  And  there  is  no  question 
that  Dr.  Nevius's  insistence  on  reducing  the  risks 


134  Princely   Men 

of  the  use  of  foreign  money  and  forces  to  a  mini- 
mum, and  the  consequent  necessity  of  laying 
much  of  the  burden  on  the  infant  churches,  to- 
gether with  the  admirable  provision  which  he 
made  for  the  development  of  the  Christian  life 
and  activities  in  the  early  stages  of  discipleship, 
are  contributions  to  the  progress  of  missions 
that  should  rank  with  the  Karen  work  of  the 
Baptists,  Dr.  Wheeler's  scheme  worked  out  on 
the  Harpoot  plain,  and  the  system  which  Mackay 
and  his  colleagues  in  Uganda  initiated  for  the 
later  development  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society's  missionaries. 
Famine  But  Dr.  Nevius  had  a  far  wider  view  of  mis- 
sions  than  is  indicated  in  this  brief  account  of 
his  methods  of  mission  work.  His  labors  in 
famine  rehef  will  make  his  name  known  to  the 
descendants  of  those  who,  in  their  childhood, 
found  in  him  the  saver  of  life  in  the  awful  fam- 
ines of  North  China,  particularly  that  of  1877 
and  1878.  Dr.  Nevius  went  alone  to  a  cen- 
ter of  direst  destitution,  200  miles  southwest 
from  Chefoo.  After  making  investigations  he 
wrote:  "On  an  average  about  fifteen  per  cent 
have  died  of  starvation  within  the  last  six 
months.  In  many  sections  the  proportion  is 
much  larger.  Good  land  is  offered  for  one-tenth 
of  its  value.  In  fact,  land  can  not  be  sold  at 
any  price.  The  people  have  eaten  all  the  grain 
and  almost  all  the  millet-chaff,  sweet-potato  stalks. 


John   Livingston   Nevius  13  r 

and   beans,    and  are    now   living    on    the    buds 
and  bark  of  trees,  roots  of  wild  plants,  and  grass- 
seed,  carefully   swept  from    the    ground.     Nine 
out  of  ten  of  the  persons  you  meet  have  pinched 
faces  and  sunken  eyes,  and  some  are  tottering 
skeletons.     Being  hungry  is  their  chronic  con- 
dition.     They  do  not  ask  to  be  filled,  but  only 
for  enough  to  support  life.     Many,  as  a  last  re- 
sort, sell  their  wives  and  daughters.     Girls  of 
from  six  to  seven  years  of  age  sell  from  one  to 
two  dollars  ;  those  from  ten  to  twelve  for  three, 
four,  or  five  dollars."      With  beseeching  skele- 
tons always  about  him,  who  might  on  occasion 
seize  his  horse's  bridle  as  he  was  riding  along 
and  refuse  to  let  him  go,  while   repeating  over 
and  over,  "  You  don't  know  how  hungry  I  am," 
and  with  the  constant  sight  of  awful  forms  on 
the  verge  of  the  grave,  his  lot  was  almost  un- 
endurable.     Happily,  God  preserved    him  from 
famine  fever,  from   which    one   member  of  his 
mission  died,  as  did  a  number  of  other  mission- 
aries.    When  his  work  was  over,  he  could  report 
that  with  the  ^10,000  which  he  had  distributed, 
he  had  aided    32,539  persons   residing  in    383 
villages.     As  the  most  remote  of  these  was  only 
fifteen    miles    from    his   headquarters,   one   can 
readily  imagine  the  density  of  the  Shantung  pop- 
ulation. 

Not  only  did  this    work    open    the    door    of  A  Typical 
many    a    heart    and    furnish    a    most    excellent  ^^^^//- 


136  Princely  Men 

opportunity  for  preaching  the  Gospel,  but  it 
also  strongly  impressed  the  communities  bene- 
fited thereby.  From  the  many  honorary  scrolls 
presented  him  by  the  villages,  an  extract  is 
quoted  from  a  single  one,  written  in  blue  upon 
a  piece  of  satin  nine  feet  long  and  three  and  a 
half  wide  :  "  We,  inhabitants  of  Ching-chiu,  for 
three  years  have  been  visited  by  a  prolonged 
famine.  Cries  of  distress,  like  those  of  the  wild 
swans,  filled  the  whole  plain,  and  persons  about 
to  die  stared  at  one  another  on  the  roads. 
When  the  teacher  looked  upon  this  specatcle, 
his  heart  was  grieved  within  him.  Heaven- 
inspired  pity  was  aroused,  and  he  at  once  desired 
to  institute  extensive  plans  for  saving  the  mul- 
titudes from  calamity,  only  fearing  j:hat  his 
ability  was  not  equal  to  the  task  before  him.  .  .  . 
It  is  because  the  teacher  is  an  investigator  of 
true  doctrine  and  a  propagator  of  the  mysterious 
truths  of  Christianity  that  he  is  thus  accustomed 
to  regard  all  under  heaven  as  one  family.  There- 
fore, when  he  looked  upon  this  widespread  and 
extreme  distress,  his  heart  could  not  rest."  It 
is  little  wonder  that  one  result  of  this  noble 
philanthropy  was  to  remove  hostility  to  his  work 
and  make  it  difficult  to  prevent  some  from  desir- 
ing to  enter  the  church  because  of  gratitude  to 
their  human  deliverer,  or  in  order  to  be  sure  of 
the  loaves  and  fishes  at  some  future  hour  of 
need. 


John  Livingston  Nevius  137 

Not  merely  in  the  florid  periods  of   Chinese  Held  in 
scrolls  did  Dr.  Nevius  appear  among  the  Em-  "°"o''' 
pire's   benefactors,    but    the    entire   missionary 
body    regarded    him    as    one    of   the    strongest 
representatives    of    the    Protestant    enterprise. 
His  own  Church  honored  him  in  the  councils 
of  its  China  Presbyteries  and  its   Synod,  which 
owed  its  existence  largely  to  his  advocacy  of  it. 
It  is  true  that  his  new  method  was  an  occasion 
of  differences  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life ; 
yet  Nevius  was  so  fair  to   his  opponents  that 
friction  was   reduced  to  a  minimum.    He  and 
three  or  four  other  missionaries  formed  the  plan 
for  the  first  great  conference  of  all  the  Protes- 
tant missionary  societies  in  China,  and  had  he 
not  been  in  the  midst  of  famine  relief  work  in 
1877,  when  its  sessions  were  held  in  Shanghai, 
he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  a  leading  spirit 
in    its    deliberations.     At    the    second    General 
Conference,  held  in  the  same  city  in    1890,  Dr. 
Nevius    was    the    unanimous    choice    for    the 
American  chairman  of  the  meetings,  an  English 
chairman  alternating   in  the  work  of  presiding. 
The   Conference   lasted  about  a  fortnight  and 
was  the  most  significant  gathering  of  the  mis- 
sionary forces  of   the  Empire   ever  held.     Dr. 
Nevius  presented  a  strong  paper  entitled    "A 
Historical  Review  of  Missionary  Methods,  Past 
and  Present,  in  China,"  and  was  a  most  helpful 
participant  in  the  discussion  of  the  topics,  ''The 


138  Princely   Men 

Annotated  Scriptures,"  "Bible  Distribution  in 
General,"  "  Woman's  Work,"  "  Medical  Work," 
"Loans  to  the  Poor,"  "Self-support,"  and  "Na- 
tive Agency." 
Literary  References  have  been  made  to  the  literary 
Labors.  ^Qj-j^g  q{  j^^.  Nevius.  They  occupied  no  small 
part  of  his  time  and  thought,  but  as  they  were 
mainly  in  Chinese  and  intended  for  native  use, 
they  are  little  known  to  Occidentals.  Probably 
his  "  Compendium  of  Theology  "  —  a  work  left 
unfinished  —  and  his  "Manual  for  Inquirers" 
will  be  of  the  most  lasting  benefit  to  the  Chinese 
Church  at  large.  An  indication  of  his  practi- 
cality is  seen  in  the  contents  of  this  latter  book  : 
General  directions  for  prosecuting  Scripture 
studies  ;  forms  of  prayer ;  the  Apostles'  Creed 
and  select  passages  of  Scripture,  to  be  committed 
to  memory.  Then  follow  a  large  number  of 
selected  Scripture  stories  and  parables,  with 
directions  as  to  how  they  are  to  be  studied  ;  rules 
for  the  organization  and  direction  of  stations ; 
duties  of  station  leaders,  and  rules  for  their 
guidance  ;  a  system  of  forms  for  keeping  station 
records  of  attendance,  studies,  etc.;  form  of 
church  covenant  ;  Scripture  lessons  for  preparing 
for  baptism  and  others  for  preparing  for  Com- 
munion ;  order  of  exercises  for  church  service ; 
suggestions  for  the  best  spending  of  the  Sabbath; 
a  short  Scripture  catechism  ;  questions  on  the 
foregoing    to    aid    in    examining  learners  ;   and 


John   Livingston   Nevius  139 

sometimes  an  additional  section,  containing  the 
commonest  hymns.  In  Enghsh,  Dr.  Nevius 
also  did  much  to  forward  the  interests  of 
China.  Denominational  and  missionary  periodi- 
cals of  his  own  Church  and  Board  were  always 
kept  informed  in  an  interesting  way  of  the  situa- 
tion in  China  and  of  the  progress  of  Christian 
work  there.  His  little  book  for  Sunday  schools, 
"  San-poh,"  gives  an  idea  of  how  the  Gospel  gets 
into  a  Chinese  community,  while  a  larger  vol- 
ume for  the  general  pubhc,  "China  and  the 
Chinese,"  is  still  one  of  the  best  general  accounts 
of  the  Empire,  its  peoples  and  religions. 

The  frail  health  of  his  wife  and  her  frequent  Furloughs. 
absence  from  China,  either  in  Europe  or  in  the 
United  States,  made  Dr.  Nevius  always  anxious, 
and  to  one  who  was  so  devoted  a  husband  these 
anxieties  undoubtedly  weakened  his  work.      In  « 

order  to  meet  her  need,  he  spent  a  number  of  ' 

months  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent. 
His  prolonged  furloughs  in  the  United  States  j 

were  made  fruitful   by  the    number   and    high  * 

character  of   his    addresses    on   missions,  espe-  j 

cially  those    in    China.       Strength  rather  than 
novelty  was  characteristic  of  his  platform  work ;  i 

and  whether  he  was  addressing  missionary  board  ■] 

meetings,  or  audiences  in  the  most    important  j 

churches  of  his  denomination,  whether  his  hear-  j 

ers  belonged  to  the  higher  ranks  in  society,  —  | 

he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  in  his  audience  in  ■ 


140  Princely  Men 

Washington  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
—  or  were  Sunday-school  scholars  to  the  number 
of  1,500,  he  always  left  the  impression  of  mastery 
of  his  subject  and  utter  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
missions.  Korea  and  Japan,  which  he  visited,  as 
also  various  parts  of  China,  felt  the  influence  of 
his  personality  ;  and,  as  we  have  seen,  his  visit 
to  the  Hermit  Kingdom  was  most  fruitful  in 
results. 
Hom9  Life.  Though  the  Nevius  home  was  not  made  glad 
with  children,  and  while  his  wife's  health  was 
always  a  problem,  the  tenderness  of  early  es- 
pousals was  never  absent.  The  writer  was 
impressed,  as  have  been  so  many  other  guests 
of  the  Neviuses  at  their  inviting  Nan  Lou,  or 
South  Loft,  with  the  entire  devotion  of  the  pair 
to  each  other.  Music,  literature,  the  beautiful 
in  nature,  —  witness  his  lines  after  visiting 
Japan's  heavenly  Nikko,  —  a  kindliness  which 
actually  beamed  from  his  face  and  made  the 
Chinese  sure  that  he  was  their  loving  friend,  his 
devotional  life,  reminding  one  of  the  relation 
between  Moses  and  Jehovah,  — see  Exodus  33  : 
II, — the  oasis  which  Dr.  Nevius  had  created 
in  the  barren  life  of  his  neighbors,  typified  by 
his  yard  and  garden  abounding  in  the  fruits  and 
flowers  of  a  far-away  land,  were  other  memories 
which  his  foreign  friends  were  sure  to  carry 
away  with  them  from  the  Nevius  home.  And 
as  for  the   Chinese  leaders  of  distant   stations 


John   Livingston  Nevius  141 

who  came  thither  for  weeks  of  close  intercourse 
and  instruction,  Nan  Lou  was  a  veritable  house 
of  God,  a  gate  of  heaven. 

The  last  months  of  Dr.  Nevius's  life  were  Beulah  and 
quiet  ones.  The  Shanghai  Conference  of  1890  ^^y^"^- 
had  appointed  him  on  the  committee  to  revise 
the  Mandarin  version  of  the  Bible.  The  portion 
of  the  New  Testament  assigned  to  him  had  been 
completed,  and  he  was  criticising  the  work  of 
another  reviser.  His  brother  Reuben,  whom  he 
had  seen  but  little  for  forty  years,  came  out  to 
visit  him,  and  the  Episcopal  rector  and  the  Pres- 
byterian missionary  renewed  their  youth  once 
more.  Dr.  Reuben  would  read  Tennyson  or 
the  Brownings,  and  then  Dr.  John  would  respond 
with  recitations  from  Shakespeare  or  Byron, 
after  which  Reuben  would  reveal  God  to  his 
brother  through  the  microscope,  and  in  turn 
would  be  shown  the  geological  and  botanical 
wonders  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom.  His  brother 
having  returned  home,  a  tour  was  in  contempla- 
tion in  October,  and  the  arrangements  were 
almost  completed.  Dr.  Nevius  had  been  busy 
the  day  before  in  looking  after  the  establishment 
of  the  local  post-office  in  Chefoo,  and  at  night 
had  slept  unusually  well.  He  awoke  on  the 
morning  of  October  19th  feeling  weary,  but  he 
went  on  with  the  work  of  the  day.  At  Chinese 
prayers  he  read  and  commented  on  the  last  half 
of  the  second  chapter  of  First  Thessalonians,  a 


142  Princely   Men 

most  appropriate  passage  from  which  to  address 
his  last  words  to  Chinese  Christians,  who  were 
his  *' glory"  and  ''joy."  Noticing  that  his 
pulse  was  very  intermittent,  his  physician  was 
called.  Dr.  Nevius  met  him  at  the  gate,  but 
scarcely  had  the  two  men  entered  the  study 
before  his  head  fell  forward  and,  like  Moses,  he 
died  of  ''  the  kiss  of  Jehovah."  The  shock  to  his 
wife  and  friends,  the  Chefoo  community,  and 
the  native  Christians  was  great,  and  general 
mourning  ensued.  The  Chinese  requested 
that  one  of  their  number  be  permitted  to  go 
around  to  all  the  distant  stations  to  tell  them 
the  particulars  of  their  pastor's  removal  and  to 
show  the  photographs  which  had  been  made  of 
the  lifeless  body  lying  on  a  sofa  among  his  be- 
loved flowers.  They  all  shared  in  the  feeling  of 
the  poor  wheelbarrow  man  who  slept  on  the  floor 
beside  his  revered  friend's  body  the  night  before 
burial  and  who  kept  fresh  flowers  on  the  grave 
long  thereafter.  Trying  to  comfort  Mrs.  Nevius, 
he  said  :  "  You  think  too  little  of  your  husband's 
happiness.  Our  Savior  said,  '  Come  unto  me, 
ye  weary  and  heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest,'  Dr.  Nevius  had  worked  very,  very  hard, 
harder  than  most  men,  and  he  was  weary,  and 
now  the  Lord  has  given  him  rest.  The  pastor 
used  to  say  to  us  Christians  in  the  country : 
*This  is  a  beautifvil  world,  very  beautiful  indeed  ; 
but   heaven  is  more  beautiful  still.'     And  that 


John   Livingston   Nevius  143 

is  where  Dr.   Nevius  has  gone  ;  you  ought  not 
to  be  so  sad." 

A  Chinese  service  of  great  solemnity  was  The  Funeral. 
held;  and  then  the  body  was  committed  to  the 
grave,  after  a  touching  ^  tribute  by  a  colleague 
and  the  reading  of  the  Church  of  England  ser- 
vice by  two  members  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  one  of  them  his  dear 
friend,  Bishop  Scott.  The  feelings  of  those 
present  found  fitting  expression  in  the  stanza  of 
one  of  Dr.  Nevius's  favorite  hymns,  sung  at  the 
grave : 

"  Now  the  laborer's  task  is  o'er ; 
Now  the  battle-day  is  past; 
Now  upon  the  farther  shore 
Lands  the  voyager  at  last. 
Father,  in  Thy  gracious  keeping 
Leave  we  now  Thy  servant  sleeping." 


Dr.    Mackay  and  Students   Descending   a   Mountain. 


GEORGE     LESLIE 
MACKAY 

FORMOSA'S    PREACHER   AND    TEACHER 

Born  in  Zorra,   Canada,   March   21,    1844 

Died  in  Tamsui,   Formosa,  June  2,    1901 

THE   WAITING   ISLES 

■  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold;  my  chosen,  in  whom  my  soul 
deHghteth:  I  have  put  my  spirit  upon  him;  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to 
the  Gentiles.  .  ,  .  He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged,  till  he  have  set  judg- 
ment in  the  earth  ;  and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  his  law."  —  Isaiah  42:  i,  4. 

THE   TRAINING    OF   THE   TWELVE 

"And  he  goeth  up  into  the  mountain,  and  calleth  unto  him  whom  he 
himself  would  :  and  they  went  unto  him.  And  he  appointed  twelve,  that 
they  might  be  with  him,  and  that  he  might  send  them  forth  to  preach,  and 
to  have  authority  to  cast  out  devils."  —  St.  Mark  3:  13,  14. 

MACKAY'S   THEORY   AND    METHOD 

"  Mission  work  in  North  Formosa  is  dominated  by  the  idea  of  a  native 
ministry.  The  purpose  is  to  evangelize  the  people,  to  enlighten  their  dark- 
ness by  the  power  of  divine  truth,  and  to  drive  back  the  mists  of  error  and 
the  black  clouds  of  sin  that  have  through  all  the  past  obscured  their  vision 
of  the  City  of  God.  ...  I  invariably  had  from  one  to  twenty  students 
as  my  daily  companions.  We  began  each  day's  work  with  a  hymn  of 
praise.  When  weather  permitted  we  sat  under  a  tree  —  usually  the  banian 
or  a  cluster  of  bamboos  —  and  spent  the  day  reading,  studying,  examining. 
In  the  evening  we  retired  to  some  slieltered  spot,  and  I  explained  a  passage 
of  Scripture  to  the  students  and  others  gathered  with  them.  ...  By  no 
means  the  least  profitable  part  of  their  training  was  on  the  road  in  our 
traveling  together.  All  manner  of  subjects  were  then  discussed — the 
Gospel,  the  people,  the  way  to  present  the  truth,  and  God,  the  Author  of 
all."  —  "  From  Far  Formosa,"  pages  285,  287,  288. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST   OF   EVENTS    IN 
MACKAY'S   LIFE 


1844.     Bom  at  Zorra,  Ontario,  Canada,  March  21. 

(?)     Teaches  school  at  Maplewood  and  Maitlandville. 

(?)     Studies  at  Woodstock  and  Omemee  grammar  schools. 

(?)     Takes  "  Preparatory  Literary  Course  "  in  Knox  College,  Toronto 
1867-70.     Studies  Theology  at  Princeton  Seminary. 

1870.  Offers  himself  to  his  Church  for  missionary  service,  October, 
1870-i.Goes  to  Scotland,  studying  mainly  at  Edinburgh. 

1871.  Receives  appointment  as  foreign  missionary,  April  14. 
Visits  Canadian  churches  in  the  interest  of  missions   summer. 
Ordained  as  foreign  missionary,  September  19 

Leaves  home  fcr  his  field,  October  ig. 

First  sermon  after  reaching  Formosa,  December  31. 
X872.     Reaches  Tamsui,  North  Formosa,  March. 

First  convert,  A-hoa,  May. 
X873.     Baptism  of  first  five  converts,  March  (?) 

1877.  Bang-kah  is  taken  for  Christianity,  December. 

1878.  At  Tamsui  marries  a  Chinese  lady,  Tui  Chang-mia,  May. 
1881.     First  furlough  in  Canada. 

Granted  degree   of    Doctor    of    Divinity    by    Queen's   Univeisit 
■  Kingston. 
1884.     French  invasion  of  Formosa. 
1884-5.  Mackay's  trip  to  Amoy  and  Hongkong. 
1893-5.  Mackay's  second  furlough  home. 

1895-6.  Disturbances  and  persecutions  due  to  Japanese  occupation. 
1901.     Dies  at  Tamsui,  Formosa,  June  2. 


V 
GEORGE    LESLIE    MACKAY 

Formosa's  Preacher  and  Teacher 

While  the  life  of  a  Formosan  missionary  Formosa 
does  not  strictly  come  within  the  range  of  this  ^"^  China. 
little  volume,  because  of  present  relations  of  the 
island  to  Japan,  Mackay  is  rightly  classed  among 
Chinese  workers.  The  accident  of  Formosa's 
recent  transfer  to  the  Sunrise  Kingdom  did  not 
materially  affect  his  relations  to  its  people,  and 
from  the  day  of  his  arrival  his  work  was  done 
through  the  Chinese  language  and  very  largely 
for  emigrants  from  China  and  their  descendants. 
Society  was  dominated  by  Chinese  law,  customs, 
and  religions,  except  among  the  savages ;  and 
Mackay  regarded  his  work  as  part  and  parcel  of 
that  wider  enterprise  which  has  for  its  ultimate 
goal  the  redemption  of  the  most  populous  and 
interesting  empire  in  the  world. 

Mackay  gloried  in  an  ancestry  that  had  en-  Exiled 
dured  hardness,  and  in  a  fatherland  which  had  Highlanders. 
sent  into  the  non-Christian  world  men  of  might. 
Duff,   Livingstone,   Mackay  of  Uganda,  William 
Burns,   and  many  others  had  sprung  from  the 
147 


148  Princely  Men 

soil  of  a  land  which  was  Mackay's  by  only  a 
single  remove.  His  parents  had  been  forced,  by 
the  evictions  that  in  1830  darkened  the  gloomy 
days  of  the  ''  Sutherlandshire  Clearances/'  to 
leave  Scotland  and  make  for  themselves  a  new 
home  in  what  were  then  the  wilds  of  Upper  Can- 
ada, in  the  town  of  Zorra.  Here  on  March  21, 
1844,  George  Leslie  was  born,  the  youngest  of 
six  children ;  and  in  God's  acre  beside  the  "  old 
log  church"  his  parents  sleep  among  "the  rude 
forefathers  of  the  hamlet."  Zorah  would  be 
an  unknown  name  shrouded  in  Old  Testament 
darkness,  had  it  not  been  that  one  of  its  sons, 
the  mighty  Samson,  began  to  be  moved  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  between  Zorah  and  Eshtaol.  From 
the  one  log  church  in  Canada's  Zorra  "at  least 
thirty-eight  *  young  men  have  gone  forth  to  be 
the  heralds  of  the  cross  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,"  one  of  the  greatest  of 
whom  is  our  hero. 
Mackay's  How  account  for  such  a  record  1  This  is 
Eulogy.  Mackay's  explanation :  "  Peace  to  the  honored 
dust  of  those  brave  pioneers !  They  were  cast 
in  nature's  sternest  mold,  but  were  men  of  heroic 
soul.  Little  of  this  world's  goods  did  they  pos- 
sess. Ail  day  long  their  axes  rang  in  the  forests, 
and  at  night   the   smoke  of   burning  log-heaps 

*  These  are  Mackay's  words  in  "  From  Far  Formosa."  Rev. 
R.  P.  Mackay,  D.D.,  gives  the  number  as  about  fifty.  See  "  Effec- 
tive Workers  in  Needy  Fields,"  page  2,7- 


George   Leslie  Mackay  149 

hung  over  their  humble  homes  But  they  over- 
came. The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place 
have  indeed  been  made  glad.  And  more.  They 
did  more  than  hew  down  forests,  construct  roads, 
erect  homes,  and  transform  sluggish  swamps 
into  helds  of  brown  and  gold.  They  worshiped 
and  served  the  eternal  God,  taught  their  children 
to  read  the  Bible  and  believe  it,  listen  to  con- 
science and  obey  it,  observe  the  Sabbath  and 
love  it,  and  to  honor  and  reverence  the  office  of 
the  Gospel  ministry.  Their  theology  may  have 
been  narrow,  but  it  was  deep  and  high.  They 
left  a  heritage  of  truth,  and  their  memory  is  still 
an  inspiration.  .  .  .  The  type  of  religious  life 
was  distinctly  Highland.  Men  believed  and  felt, 
but  seldom  spoke  about  their  own  deeper  per- 
sonal and  spiritual  experiences.  There  were  no 
Sabbath-schools  and  Christian  Endeavor  Societies 
in  Zorra  fifty  years  ago.  Children  were  taught 
the  Bible  and  the  Shorter  Catechism  in  the 
home,  and  on  the  Sabbath  the  great  doctrines 
of  grace  were  preached  with  faithfulness  and 
power.  Men  may  talk  slightingly  to-day  about 
that  stern  old  Calvinism.  They  would  do  well 
to  pause  and  ask  about  its  fruits.  What  other 
creed  has  so  swept  the  whole  field  of  Hfe  with 
dread  artillery  of  truth,  and  made  men  unflinch- 
ingly loyal  to  conscience  and  tremorless  save  in 
the  presence  of  God  ?  The  iron  of  Calvinism 
is  needed  to-day  in  the  blood  of  the  Church.    It 


150  Princely   Men 

may  be  we  heard  much  about  sin  and  law  in 
those  olden  days,  but  love  and  grace  were  not 
obscured.  It  may  be  the  children  were  reticent 
and  backward  in  the  church ;  but  they  knew 
what  secret  sorrow  for  sin  meant,  and  they 
found  comfort  at  the  cross." 
The  Another  paragraph,  quoted  from  the  record 
Missionary  ^^  Mackay's  youth,  shows  how  early  the  boy 
heard  the  call  to  his  future  work  and  how  domi- 
nant a  chord  it  became  in  his  entire  life.  "  Be- 
fore I  reached  the  age  of  ten,  the  ever-blessed 
Name  was  sweet  and  sacred  in  my  ear.  The 
paraphrase,  beginning  with  the  words, 

'While  humble  shepherds  watched  their  flocks 
In  Bethlehem's  plains  by  night,' 

repeated  at  my  mother's  knee  in  the  quiet  of 
the  Sabbath  evening,  early  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  my  soul.  It  was  then  that  the  thought 
of  being  a  missionary  first  came.  William  C. 
Burns  [afterwards  China's  famous  evangelist] 
had  visited  Woodstock  and  Zorra  on  his  tours 
through  Canada  and  poured  a  new  stream  into 
the  current  of  religious  life.  His  name  was 
cherished  in  the  home,  and  something  of  his 
spirit  touched  my  boyish  heart.  My  grand- 
father fought  at  Waterloo;  his  martial  soul  went 
into  my  blood;  and  when  once  I  owned  the 
Savior  King,  the  command,  *  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and   preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,' 


George  Leslie  Mackay  151 

made  me  a  soldier  of  the  cross.  To  be  a  mis- 
sionary became  the  dominant  idea  through  all 
the  years  during  which  I  served  as  school-teacher 
at  Maple  wood  and  Haitian  dville,  as  scholar  at 
Woodstock  and  Omemee  grammar  schools,  as 
student  of  arts  in  Toronto,  and  as  student- 
missionary  during  summer  vacations  at  Blue 
Mountain,  Port  Burwell  and  Vienna,  Lincoln 
and  Biddulph,  Forest  and  Mackay." 

His  testimony,  that  no  part  of  his  preparatory  Princeton 
training  proved  more  practically  helpful  than  ^nd  Scotland 
the  medical  studies  pursued  at  Toronto  and  in 
New  York,  does  not  imply  that  the  years  spent 
at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  and  in  study 
at  Edinburgh,  "  Scotia's  darling  seat,"  were  any 
less  helpful  in  his  later  career.  In  Scotland,  a 
great  personality,  the  Nestor  of  Scottish  mis- 
sions, Alexander  Duff,  meant  more  to  Mackay 
than  did  the  strong  lectures  of  Blackie,  Blaikie, 
and  Rainy,  or  the  pulpit  utterances  of  Candlish, 
Guthrie,  Cairns,  and  Whyte.  From  Edinburgh 
to  Aberdeen  he  followed  the  intellectual  father 
of  new  India,  and  Duff's  interest  in  him  was 
scarcely  less  than  that  felt  so  strongly  by  the 
young  Canadian.  Though  Mackay  was  finally 
sent  to  Formosa,  thus  rendering  his  study  of 
Brahmanism  and  Buddhism  under  Duff  of  little 
value,  he  never  lost  the  inspiration  that  comes 
from  a  supreme  personality.  Another  valuable 
asset   derived  from    his    Scotch  novitiate  came 


152  Princely  Men 

from  mission  work  among  the  outcasts  of  Cow- 
gate  and  Grassmarket  in  Edinburgh.      Having 
gained  from  his  stay  in  Scotland  what  he  had 
longed  for,  Mackay  was  considering  the  advisa- 
bility of  applying  to  be  sent  abroad  under  one 
of  the  Scotch  or  American  missionary  societies, 
when,  on  April   14,  1871,   he  received  news  of 
his  appointment  as  the  first  missionary  to  the 
heathen  world  of    the  western   division  of    the 
Presbyterian    Church    of    Canada.       Four  days 
later  he  was  sailing  homeward,  and  after  a  tour 
of  the  churches  and  the  necessary  preparations, 
he  left  his  home  for  China  on  October   19th,  of 
the  same  year. 
Ma^kay's      What  he  calls  his  Gethsemane    encountered 
Gethsemane.  Mackay  when    he    bade    civilization   adieu    and 
sailed  out  of  the  Golden  Gate  into  an  unknow^n 
future.     "  But  it  was  not  for   long,"  he  writes. 
"  The  Word  brought  light.      The  psalm  marked 
by  the  Committee  on  the  fly-leaf  of  the  Book 
began,  '  I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills  ; ' 
and  the  promise  was,  '  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway.' 
And  then  the  forty-sixth  psalm  !     Oh,  how  often 
it  has  brought  comfort  and  peace  !     When  the 
waves  dashed  in  fury  I  read  it.      Aye,  and  when 
storms  arose  wilder,  more  relentless  and  deathful 
than  ever  vexed  the  broad  Pacific,  when  heathen 
hate  and  savage  cruelty  rose  like  a  hungry  sea, 
the    blessed    words,    *God    is    our    refuge    and 
strength,'  opened  wide  the  door  into  the   secret 


George  Leslie  Mackay  153 

of  His  presence.  On  that  day,  in  my  stateroom, 
I  read  it  again  and  again,  —  precious  truth ; 
glorious  refuge ;  God,  the  eternal  God.  Hark, 
my  soul !  He  speaks :  *  Certainly,  I  will  be 
with  thee.'  Begone,  unbelief  !  God  in  heaven 
is  the  keeper  of  my  soul.  The  glorified  Jesus 
says,  '  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway.'" 

Yokohama,  with  its  first  revelation  of  the  Reaches 
Orient ;  the  spacious  harbor  of  Hongkong,  with  ^°''"^^^^- 
its  fringe  of  houses  rising  tier  above  tier  up  the 
granite  hills,  and  over  all  "the  flag  of  a  thou- 
sand years  ;  "  Swatow  and  Amoy,  scenes  of  the 
triumphs  of  the  English  Presbyterians  and  Con- 
gregationalists,  and  of  the  American  Baptists 
and  the  Reformed  Church ;  and  then  "  a  night 
of  thick  darkness,  howling  blasts,  and  a  plung- 
ing sea,"  —  these  were  the  steps  which  led  from 
yearning  anticipation  to  the  realization  of  child- 
hood's vision.  One  of  the  English  Presbyterians 
at  Ta-kow  greeted  the  new  recruit  to  a  work 
which  sorely  needed  laborers,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing Sabbath,  the  last  day  of  the  dying  1871, 
Mackay  preached  in  English  his  first  sermon  in 
Formosa.  It  was  the  gospel  of  a  crucified  Savior 
which  he  then  pressed  home  to  the  consciences 
of  a  company  of  captains,  officers,  engineers,  and 
merchants,  and  which,  later,  was  the  staple  of 
his  preaching  to  Chinese  and  savages  alike. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  Portuguese  mari-  Formosa  the 
ners  of    1590,   after  sailing  along    the    island's 


154  Princely   Men 

eastern    coast    and    "  sighting    the    green-clad 
mountains,  with    peaks   piercing    the    scattered 
clouds,  cascades  glimmering  like  silver  in   the 
tropical   sunlight,  and   terraced    plains    waving 
with  feathery    bamboo,"    should    exclaim    with 
rapture,  "  Ilha    formosa  !    ilha  formosa  !  "    thus 
christening  anew  the  "  beautiful  isle."     In  round 
numbers,  Formosa  is  250  miles  from  north  to 
south,  with  an  average  breadth    of    about  fifty 
miles.     Mackay  writes  of  the  island,  particularly 
of    the  northern  portion   of    it,  which  was  his 
parish  :  "  Forest-clad  mountain  ranges,  attaining 
the  height  of    from  seven  thousand  to    fifteen 
thousand    feet,    run    through    the    center    from 
north  to  south,  and  from  their  bases  extends  a 
broad  stretch  of  lowlands,  plateaux,  and  ravines. 
This  plain  is  drained  by    three    large    streams 
which  run  into  the  Tamsui   River.      Precipitous 
cliffs  of   from  three   thousand   to  six  thousand 
feet,  clothed  with  vegetation  except  on  the  sea- 
face,    with    two    large    and    many    small   plains 
which  are  silted  inlets,  compose  the  eastern  side 
of  North  Formosa."     As  the  southern  half  of 
the  island  lies  within  the  tropics,  the  climate  is 
excessively  trying,  particularly  after  a  few  years 
have  been  spent  there  without  the  invigorating 
atmosphere  of  the  temperate  zone.      Flowers  in 
January  and  the    absence    of    frost    and    snow 
charm  the  tourist,  but  the  missionary  yearns,  z\s 
does  the  hart    for    the  water-brooks,   for    "ovr 


George   Leslie   Mackay  15^ 

breath  of  the  clear,  crisp  air  of  a  frosty  winter 
morning."  As  for  the  rainy  season,  Mackay 
writes  :  "  It  is  rain,  rain,  rain,  to-day,  to-morrow, 
and  the  next  day  ;  this  week,  next  week,  and 
the  week  after  ;  wet  and  wind  without,  damp 
and  mold  within.  Often  for  weeks  together 
we  rarely  get  a  glimpse  of  the  sun.  All  the 
year  around  we  have  to  fight  against  depression 
of  spirits."  But  rain  and  heat  produce  a  prodi- 
gal vegetation  to  delight  the  beholder,  while  at 
the  same  time  they  hasten  a  decay  that  gives 
birth  to  the  missionary's  deadliest  foe,  malarial 
fever. 

As  Mackay 's  headquarters  were  at  Tamsui,  Tamsui 
we  must  glance  at  this  cathedral  city  of  Canadian 
Presbyter ianism.  The  picture  which  so  thrilled 
him  on  his  arrival  in  March,  1872,  grew  upon 
his  affections  with  the  years.  Let  him  describe 
it :  "  From  the  upper  deck  of  our  steamer  lying 
at  anchor  we  get  a  bird's-eye  view  of  Tamsui. 
Before  us,  looking  eastward  in  the  background, 
stretching  north  and  south,  and  rising  tier  above 
tier  in  its  stately  grandeur,  are  those  massive 
mountain  ranges  left  by  tremendous  volcanic 
upheavals  of  past  ages  and  now  clad  in  perennial 
verdure.  Here  and  there  on  their  sloping  sides 
are  seen  patches  of  tea  plantations.  Farther 
down,  and  interspersed  with  trees  and  grasses, 
lie  the  rich  green  rice  terraces.  No  fences,  no 
straight    lines,    no   precise   measurements,    but 


156  Princely  Men 

leveled  fields  of  every  size  and  shape,  edged 
with  green  and  forming  a  regular  descent,  each 
distinct  and  lower  than  the  other,  down  through 
the  valley  almost  to  the  seashore.  At  last  out 
swings  the  signal ;  up  comes  the  anchor ;  and 
with  leisurely  dignity  our  vessel  heads  forward 
into  the  mouth  of  the  Tamsui  River.  On  the 
south,  at  our  right  as  we  enter,  lies  Quan-yin 
Mountain,  1,700  feet  high,  covered  with  tall 
grass,  groves  of  bamboo,  banian,  and  fir  trees. 
Nestling  at  its  feet  are  villages  and  farmhouses, 
almost  concealed  under  ancient  spreading  banians, 
swaying  willows,  and  prickly  screw-pine  hedges. 
...  To  the  left  is  a  ^low  stretch  of  sea-sand 
bounded  by  black  volcanic  rocks  and  broken 
coral,  where  women  and  children  are  gathering 
oysters  and  seaweed.  There  among  the  drift  of 
the  sand  stands  the  black  beacon,  and  a  little 
farther  on,  the  white  beacon ;  then  a  fishing- 
village,  with  boats  drawn  up  on  the  beach  and 
rows  of  nets  hanging  out  to  dry.  There  is  a 
battered  Chinese  fort,  and  up  the  hill  just  behind 
it  another  fort  with  modern  massive  earthworks, 
concealing  guns  and  soldiers."  The  conspicuous 
buildings  in  this  town  of  more  than  six  thousand 
inhabitants  are  the  customs  office,  the  consulates, 
the  buildings  of  Oxford  College  and  the  mission 
hospital  and  of  its  staff  of  missionaries  and 
teachers,  —  which  later  came  into  being,  —  and 
a  conspicuous  Chinese  graveyard. 


George  Leslie  Mackay  i  jy 

What  was   Mackay' s  purpose  as   he   entered  Mackay' s 
upon  his   field  ?      It  was  not  to  study  geology,  Puf'pose. 
botany,  or  zoology,  fascinating  as  these  branches 
were    to    him ;    nor  was    it    to   investigate   the 
customs    and    anthropological    aspects    of    his 
chosen  people.      "  Not  for  that  did  the  Church 
ordain  me  and  send  me   out,"   he  writes.     "My 
commission  is   clear ;   I   hold  it  from  the    King 
and  Head  of   the  Church  :  '  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.' 
Whatever    else  may  be   done,  that  commission 
must   be  fulfilled.      More   than  that ;  whatever 
else  may  be  done  must  have  a  real  and  positive 
bearing  on  the  fulfillment  of  that  commission. 
Whatever  of  history,  geology,  ethnology,  sociol- 
ogy, or  of  any  other  subject,  may  engage  the 
missionary's  attention,  must  be  regarded  in  its 
relation  to  the   Gospel.      To  get  the  gospel  of 
the  grace  of   God  into  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
the  heathen,  and,  when  converted,  to  build  them 
up  in    their    faith  — that    was  my   purpose   in 
going  to  Formosa." 

With  only  a  few  weeks  among  his  English  co-  First  Home. 
workers  in  the  south  end  of  the  island  and  a  brief 
tour  with  two  of  them  in  his  own  field,  Mackay 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  and  was 
obliged  to  work  out  his  own  problems.  His  first 
home  was  not  much  better  than  a  stable.  "  It 
was  a  filthy  place.  A  steep  hill  being  dug  out 
furnished   the  site,  and  the  road    around  sepa- 


158  Princely   Men 

rated  it  from  the  river.  Situated  as  it  was,  it 
could  not  be  healthy  at  any  time.  In  the  dry 
season  the  atmosphere  was  hot  and  oppressive  ; 
and  when  the  rains  came,  the  water  streamed 
down  the  sloping  hill  and  ran  through  the  build- 
ing across  the  floor  into  the  river  in  front.  One 
room  was  floored  with  unplaned  boards,  another 
with  tiles,  and  the  other  with  nature's  black  soil. 
I  moved  into  my  new  home  with  all  my  furni- 
ture, —  two  pine  boxes.  The  British  consul  lent 
me  a  chair  and  bed,  a  Chinese  gave  me  an  old 
pewter  lamp ;  and  I  employed  a  mason  to  white- 
wash the  whole  establishment.  It  was  thor- 
oughly cleaned,  portions  of  the  walls  hidden 
with  newspapers,  and  openings  covered  with  red 
cotton.  In  full  possession  of  this  retreat,  here 
is  the  record  entered  in  my  diary  under  the  date 
of  April  10,  1872  :  *Here  I  am  in  this  house, 
having  been  led  all  the  way  from  the  old  home- 
stead in  Zorra  by  Jesus,  as  direct  as  though  my 
boxes  were  labeled,  Tamsui,  Formosa,  China. 
O  the  glorious  privilege  to  lay  the  foundation 
of  Christ's  Church  in  unbroken  heathenism  ! 
God  help  me  to  do  this  with  the  open  Bible. 
Again  I  swear  allegiance  to  Thee,  O  King 
Jesus,  my  Captain.  So  help  me  God.'  " 
Early  Mackay  had  acquired  the  eight  tones  of  the 
Teachers.  ^\^\qq^  spoken  in  Formosa  while  on  the  south 
end  of  the  island.  His  attempts  to  master  the 
Chinese  in  his  permanent  home  were  aided  at 


George   Leslie   Mackay.  159 

first  by  his  servant,  who,  however,  regarded  his 
master  as  daft,  so  insistent  and  constant  was  he 
in  his  efforts  to  enlarge  his  vocabulary.  Turn- 
ing in  despair  from  him,  Mackay  next  made 
love  to  the  poor  herdboys  out  on  the  wilds.  "  As 
soon  as  I  went  near,"  he  writes,  *'they  yelled, 
*  Foreign  devil  !  foreign  devil  ! '  jumped  on  the 
ground,  waved  their  l^rge  sun-hats,  and  disap- 
peared behind  bowlders.  The  next  day  I  tried 
again.  They  looked  at  me  in  silence,  but  on  the 
alert,  and  ready  to  run  at  the  first  sign  of  danger. 
The  third  day  I  spoke  to  them,  and  as  I  had 
carefully  practiced  my  words  they  exclaimed  in 
utter  astonishment,  '  He  knows  our  language ! ' 
That  the  barbarian  could  speak  even  a  few  of 
their  words  interested  them  very  much.  I  took 
out  my  watch  and  held  it  up  for  them  to  see. 
They  were  around  me  instantly,  feeling  my 
hands,  fingers,  buttons,  and  clothes.  The  herd- 
boys  and  I  became  friends  that  day,  and  ever 
after  they  would  await  my  coming  with  eager 
interest.  I  was  out  there  on  the  plateau  with 
them  every  day  for  four  or  five  hours,  talking  to 
them,  hearing  them  talk,  noting  down  new  words 
and  phrases,  until  my  vocabulary  began  to  grow 
with  a  rapidity  that  quite  amazed  my  servant.  I 
learned  more  of  the  spoken  dialect  from  those 
herdboys  than  "in  any  other  way,  and  years  after, 
when  they  grew  to  manhood,  they  continued 
friendly,  and  were  always  delighted  to  recall  tne 


i6o  Princely  Men 

first  days  on  the  buffalo  pasture.  Several  of 
them  became  converts  to  Christianity,  one  a 
student  and  preacher.  All  this  time  I  was 
working  away  at  the  written  characters  with  my 
English-Chinese  dictionary.  It  was  slow  and 
vexatious.  Without  a  teacher  or  helper,  and 
having  none  of  the  improved  dictionaries,  it 
sometimes  took  me  hours^to  find  the  meaning  of 
one  character.  .  .  .  These  exercises  were  not 
in  vain,  however,  and  as  I  shunned  all  Europeans 
and  English-speaking  Chinese,  and  spoke  to  every 
other  man  who  would  listen  to  me,  within  five 
months  I  had  so  far  mastered  the  language  that 
I  was  able  to  preach,  my  first  sermon."  His 
later  knowledge  of  the  language  was  such  that 
he  prepared  a  useful  dictionary  of  some  ten 
thousand  characters. 
Mackay's  The  first  convert  and  throughout  Mackay's 
First  lifetiuie  the  greatest  leader  of  the  native  church 
was  Giam  Chheng-hoa,  better  known  as  A-hoa. 
Some  two  months  after  the  missionary's  arrival, 
a  prepossessing  young  man  called  and  questioned 
him  on  all  sorts  of  subjects.  At  a  second  inter- 
view, Mackay's  always  ready  weapon,  the  hymn- 
book,  was  brought  into  requisition  and  a  copy 
was  given  him.  Long  before  reaching  his  field, 
Mackay  had  pleaded  with  God  that  the  first  con- 
vert given  him  might  be  an  intelligent,  active 
voung  man,  and  that  night  he  so  firmly  believed 
that  his  prayer  was  about  to  be  answered  that 


George  Leslie  Mackay  i6i 

he  slept  little  for  gratitude  to  God.     A    suc- 
cession   of  interviews    quickly   followed,  A-hoa 
bringing  with  him  detachments  of  literary  grad- 
uates, who  plied  the  missionary  with  questions. 
Their   spokesman    finally   becoming   hopelessly 
entangled,  they  left  the  field,  and  after  A-hoa 
had  heard  the  hymn,  ''  A  Day's  March  Nearer 
Home,"  he  exclaimed:   "What  you  now  read 
suits  me.     I  love  those  words,  and  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  doctrines  you  teach  are  true.     I 
brought   all    those   graduates   and    teachers  to 
silence  you  or  to  be  silenced.     I  have  thought  a 
great  deal  about  these  things  of  late,  and  I  am 
determined  to  be  a   Christian,    even  though   I 
suffer  death  for  it.    The  Book  you  have  has  the 
true  doctrine,  and  I  should  Hke  to  study  it  with 
you." 

The  days  succeeding  A-hoa's  conversion  were  Training 
heavenly  ones  for  Mackay.  He  now  had  a  '^-^^«' 
teacher  and  a  helper,  as  well  as  an  enthusiastic 
disciple.  Language  study  was  a  joy.  "  When 
in  the  house,  we  read,  sang,  studied,  drilled,  the 
whole  day  long.  A  neighbor  entered  one  day 
to  see  if  we  had  both  become  altogether  crazy. 
He  meant  well,  but  was  a  little  afraid  of  us. 
He  brought  us  two  cups  of  tea  as  a  specific,  and 
suggested  a  visit  to  the  nearest  temple  as  a 
good  thing  for  people  affected  as  we  were. 
There  may  have  been  some  humor  in  the  scene, 
but  we  started  a  hymn,  and,  fearing  another  out- 


1 62  Princely  Men 

break,  the  man  bolted  out  of  the  door,  dropping 
the  teacups  on  the  floor  in  his  frightened  haste. 
He  would  not  come  back,  but  in  about  an  hour 
a  little  boy  came  in  for  the  fragments  of  the 
dishes."  The  map  of  the  world  was  a  revelation 
to  A-hoa,  and  so  was  the  opening  of  the  young 
man's  eyes  at  that  early  morning  hour  on  the 
summit  of  Quan-yin  Mountain,  when  for  the  first 
time  Mackay  pointed  out  to  the  astonished  Chi- 
nese the  beauties  of  nature.  *'  Standing  there 
together,  we  sang  the  One  Hundredth  Psalm, 
and  before  the  last  verse  was  finished  the  Great 
Spirit,  who  makes  all  things  beautiful  in  earth 
and  sea  and  sky,  touched  A-hoa' s  soul.  His 
nature  was  stirred  to  its  very  depths.  It  was 
the  birth-hour  of  the  beautiful.  His  new-born 
soul  had  now  an  eye  and  ear  for  God's  message 
in  creation,  and  from  that  hour  he  became  a 
devoted  student  and  ardent  lover  of  nature." 
A  quarter  of  a  century  of  constant  association 
with  Mackay  in  study,  work,  and  prayer  made 
A-hoa  the  worthy  leader  of  sixty  chlirches  ;  it 
was  Jesus'  method  applied  for  a  longer  period  to 
Formosa's  St.  Peter. 
First  A  little  more  than  a  year  after  Mackay's 
Baptisms,  arrival  at  Tamsui,  five  trophies  of  grace  were 
received  into  the  Church  of  God,  the  first-fruits 
of  North  Formosa.  The  list  includes,  besides 
A-hoa,  the  scholar,  aged  twenty-two,  the  names 
of  a  painter,  a  writer,  a  carpenter,  and  a  farmer, 


George   Leslie   Mackay  163 

having  an  average  age  of  twenty-nine  years.  As 
Mackay  was  twenty-eight,  one  is  reminded  of  the 
first  group  of  five  men,  of  about  the  same  age, 
whom  the  young  Teacher  of  GaUlee  gathered 
about  him  in  "Bethany  beyond  Jordan,  where 
John  was  baptizing."  The  painter's  conversion 
is  a  sample  of  many  others.  At  first  a  disturber 
of  meetings  and  an  open  persecutor  of  A-hoa, 
he  gradually  became  ashamed  of  his  conduct, 
then  a  hearer  of  the  doctrine,  and  next  a  convert, 
when  he  in  turn  suffered  bitter  persecution  from 
his  own  household.  Saved  from  the  attack  of 
his  mother  by  Mackay,  sickness  in  the  family, 
which  was  relieved  by  the  missionary's  medi- 
cine, led  the  mother  to  hear  and  believe,  and  ulti- 
mately she  served  as  a  Bible  woman.  The 
other  members  of  the  household  became  earnest 
Christians,  and  the  painter  himself  labored 
under  Mackay  as  one  of  his  most  faithful  preach- 
ers for  more  than  a  score  of  years.  Jeers  and 
taunts  and  threats  of  violence  did  not  deter  these 
first  confessors  from  boldly  acknowledging  their 
Lord,  nor  did  it  prevent  them  later  from  daily 
witnessing  to  the  power  of  God. 

The  first  woman  convert,  the  widow  Thah-so,  Widow 
was  a  modern  Lydia,  who  carried  the  Gospel  to  Thah-so. 
her  home   ten  miles  up  the  river  from  Tamsui, 
and  who  prepared  the  way  for  building  the  first 
chapel  in  North  Formosa.     The  truth  preached 
in    Mackay's   room   so   touched   her   heart   that 


164  Princely   Men 

week  by  week  she  brought  down  a  boat-load  of 
women  to  hear  the  "  Happy-sound."  This  led 
to  visits  at  her  village.  On  the  occasion  of  the 
first  of  these,  the  head-man  of  the  place  pasted 
on  his  walls  the  Ten  Commandments  and  told 
the  people  that  he  had  lost  confidence  in  idols 
and  was  determined  to  live  by  the  Command- 
ments. He  gave  a  plot  of  ground  for  building, 
and,  with  great  enthusiasm,  stones  and  sun-dried 
bricks  were  collected,  and  the  chapel  was  begun. 
When  the  walls  were  three  feet  from  the  ground, 
a  company  of  soldiers  armed  with  spears,  knives, 
and  guns  arrived,  and  by  yelling  and  threaten- 
ing they  thought  to  stop  the  work.  The  head- 
man, pointing  to  the  Commandments,  declared 
his  intention  to  live  according  to  their  teaching. 
Surprised  at  his  attitude,  they  proceeded  to  the 
widow's  house,  only  to  see  her  boldly  hold  up 
her  hymn-book  and  to  hear  her  declare  her  reso- 
lution to  worship  the  only  true  God.  Such 
determination  cowed  the  soldiers,  and,  to  save 
their  "face,"  they  reported  that  the  missionary 
had  bewitched  the  people.  Their  superior  offi- 
cers then  petitioned  the  British  consul  not  to 
permit  Mackay  to  build  a  fort  in  that  village, 
nor  to  take  guns  thither  by  night. 
Early  Chapel  Despite  these  and  other  obstacles,  the  chapel 
Preaching,  ^y^g  finished,  and  in  it  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  declared  their  rejection  of  idols  and 
their  desire  for  Christian  instruction.     Preaching 


George   Leslie   Mackay  165 

there  during  the  early  days  was  not  according 
to  conventional    Occidental  ideas.     <<  Sometimes 
when  we  had  sung  a  hymn  and  I  began  to  ad- 
dress them,"  Mackay  writes,  "one  or  two  would 
take  out  their  pieces  of  steel,  strike  a  flint,  Hght 
their  long  pipes,  and  when  the  smoke  ascended 
I    would    pause,    and    remind    them    that    they 
wanted   Christian    instruction  and   should   keep 
quiet.      '  O  yes,  yes,  we  must  keep  quiet ; '  and 
with  that  they  would  nod  their  heads  with  great 
politeness.     No  sooner  would  I  get  fairly  started 
again  than  some  one  would  spring  to  his  feet 
and  shout,  '  Buffaloes  in  the  rice-fields,  buffaloes 
in  the  rice-fields  ! '     Another  reminder  of  their 
duty  would    bring    another  reply,   'O  yes,  yes, 
we  must  keep  quiet.'     And  for  a  few  minutes 
all  do  keep  quiet,  and  I  go  on  with  my  address. 
Then  an  old  woman  with  her  little  feet  hobbles 
to  the  door  and  shouts  out,  '  Pig  has  gone !  pig 
has  gone  !    pig  has   gone  ! '      One  interruption 
follows  another ;  but  we  never  blame  those  rest- 
less people,  for  such  services   are   strange  and 
new  to  them.     Within  two  months,  however,  the 
congregation  assembled  in  the  chapel  at  Go-ki- 
khi  was  just  as  attentive  as  any  I  ever  addressed 
anywhere  in  Christendom." 

Other   churches   and    chapels   were   similarly  Storming 
established,   though   usually  with  less  difficulty  G'f>''affar. 
than  attended  the  building  of  the  first  chapel. 
One  city,  however,  —  the  largest  and  most  im- 


1 66  Princely   Men 

portant  in  the  northern  part  of  the  island,  as 
well  as  the  most  thoroughly  Chinese  and  anti- 
foreign,  —  stood  out  stoutly  against  the  new 
religion,  and  was  a  veritable  Gibraltar  of  oppos 
ing  hate.  It  was  from  this  Bang-kah  that  the 
soldiers  were  sent  who  tried  to  prevent  the 
building  of  the  first  chapel,  and  in  other  ways  it 
was  the  center  of  opposition  to  Mackay's  work. 
He  wrote  of  it  in  1875  :  "At  every  visit,  when 
passing  through  their  streets,  we  are  maligned, 
jeered  at,  and  abused.  Hundreds  of  children 
run  ahead,  yelHng  with  derisive  shouts  ;  others 
follow,  pelting  us  with  orange-peel,  mud,  and 
rotten  eggs.  For  hatred  to  foreigners,  for  pride, 
swaggering  ignorance,  and  conceit,  for  super- 
stitious, sensual,  haughty,  double-faced  wicked- 
ness, Bang-kah  takes  the  palm."  The  city 
authorities  had  issued  a  proclamation  warning  the 
inhabitants,  on  pain  of  imprisonment  or  death, 
not  to  rent,  lease,  or  sell  houses  or  property  to 
the  barbarian  missionary.  As  foreign  firms  had 
failed  to  gain  an  entrance  even  through  Chinese 
agents,  it  seemed  hopeless  to  attack  this  citadel. 
In  December,  1877,  however,  Mackay  felt  that 
the  attempt  must  be  made.  A  wretched  hovel 
was  rented,  and  the  inscription,  "Jesus'  Holy 
Temple,"  was  placed  above  the  door.  Soldiers 
noticing  it,  threatened  the  missionary  with  vio- 
lence, and  reported  it  to  their  general.  He  sent 
officers  ordering  Mackay  to  depart,  and  claiming 


George   Leslie   Mackay  167 

that  the  site  belonged  to  the  military  authorities. 
As  the  claim  seemed  to  be  correct,  he  decided 
to  leave,  but  declined  to  do  so  that  night.  Dur- 
ing the  hours  of  darkness,  the  turbulence  of  the 
soldiers  made  him  feel  that  his  end  had  come. 
Leaving  the  next  morning  for  his  boat,  the  jos- 
tling of  the  crowd  and  the  dodging  of  filth  and 
missiles  hurled  from  housetops  on  the  barbarian, 
made  it  a  task  of  many  hours  to  reach  it.  Es- 
caping down  the  river  to  the  place  where  his 
students  were,  he  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  there, 
and  in  the  evening  they  besought  God  to  open 
Bang-kah  to  them.  Rising  from  their  knees, 
they  went  back  to  the  city,  and  in  the  darkness 
found  an  old  man  who  secured  a  place  for  them. 
Before  midnight  the  contracts  were  signed  and 
stamped,  and  the  Christians  were  in  full  posses- 
sion. The  inscription,  "Jesus'  Holy  Temple," 
stared  the  populace  in  the  face  the  following 
morning,  and  during  that  day  and  the  next  the 
city  was  in  an  uproar,  the  noise  of  thousands  of 
voices  sounding  ominous  indeed. 

Mackay  still  moved  about  among  them,  The  Critical 
extracting  teeth  from  time  to  time.  On  the  ^°"''- 
third  day,  at  four  or  five  o'clock,  the  excite- 
ment had  reached  a  white  heat.  "  Hundreds 
had  their  queues  tied  around  their  necks  and 
blue  cloth  about  their  loins  to  signify  that  they 
were  ready  for  the  fray.  One  stooped  down, 
picked    up  a    stone,  and  hurled    it  against    the 


1 68  Princely  Men 

building.  in  a  moment  their  screams  were 
deafening.  They  were  on  the  roof,  within 
and  without,  and  the  house  was  literally  torn 
to  pieces  and  carried  away.  No  material  was 
left.  They  actually  dug  up  the  stones  of  the 
foundation  with  their  hands  and  stood  spitting 
on  the  site.  We  moved  right  across  the  street 
into  an  inn.  No  sooner  had  we  done  this  than 
scores  were  on  the  roof  and  many  more  climb- 
ino:  the  walls.  The  crash  of  tiles  could  be 
heard  as  they  attempted  to  force  an  entrance. 
By  this  time  the  shouts  and  yells  were  inhuman. 
One  who  has  never  heard  the  fiendish  yells  of  a 
murderous  Chinese  mob  can  have  no  conception 
of  their  hideousness.  The  innkeeper  came  to  us 
with  the  key  of  the  door  in  his  hand,  and  begged 
us  to  leave,  lest  his  house  be  destroyed."  Then 
followed  a  lull,  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  manda- 
rin and  his  soldiers  had  arrived  to  quell  the  riot, 
and  also  the  British  consul  from  Tamsui.  The 
mandarin  wished  the  consul  to  order  Mackay 
away,  but  this  he  would  not  do.  The  official 
then  fell  on  his  knees,  begging  Mackay  to 
depart.  This  he  declined  to  do,  but  holding 
up  his  forceps  and  Bible,  he  declared  that  he 
would  remain  and  extract  teeth  and  preach 
the  Gospel.  Long  negotiations  followed  and 
other  sites  were  offered,  but  the  Canadian  was 
as  firm  as  a  rock.  A  new  chapel  was  erected 
on  the  site  of  the  one  torn  down,  and  though 


George   Leslie  Mackay  169 

the  former  owner  was  forced  to  flee  for  his  life 
and  hearers  were  boycotted  and  soldiers  were  on 
guard  part  of  the  time,  our  hero  did  not  retreat. 
It  was  finally  destroyed  during  the  invasion  of 
the  French  in  1884;  but  within  three  months 
of  their  departure  a  solid  stone  church,  with  a 
spire  seventy  feet  high,  pointed  former,  persecu- 
tors heavenward. 

The  power  of  love  and  of  pure  religion  had  The 
time  to  do  its  blessed  work,  and  in  1893,  ^'"'"'^P^^^f 
before  Mackay's  return  to  Canada,  he  had  this 
to  say  of  Bang-kak:  "The  head- men  of  the 
city  sent  their  visiting-cards  with  a  message 
to  ask  if  I  would  be  willing  to  sit  in  a  sedan- 
chair  and  be  carried  in  honor  through  the 
streets  of  the  city.  I  begged  some  time  to 
consider,  and  decided  that,  as  in  the  past  they 
had  acted  toward  me  as  they  chose,  so  now  I 
would  allow  them  to  do  the  same.  A  proces- 
sion was  formed  on  the  same  level  ground 
near  the  same  old  temple.  Eight  bands  of 
music,  with  cymbals,  drums,  gongs,  pipes,  gui- 
tars, mandolins,  tambourines,  and  clarionets, 
took  the  lead.  Men  and  boys  with  flags, 
streamers,  and  banners  followed ;  scores  with 
squibs  and  fire-crackers  set  off  after  the  man- 
ner of  Chinese  celebrations.  Five  head-men, 
a  magistrate,  a  military  official,  and  two  civil 
officials,  came  next  in  order  ;  and  then  three 
large    umbrellas    of   honor  with  three  flounces 


I70  Princely   Men 

each,  presented  by  the  people  with  their  names 
inscribed,  were  carried  in  front  of  me,  as  I 
sat  in  a  handsome  silk-lined  sedan-chair.  Fol- 
lowing the  chair  were  six  men  on  horseback, 
twenty-six  sedan-chairs,  three  hundred  footmen 
in  regular  order,  and  various  other  parties  behind. 
Thus  we  passed  through  the  streets  of  Bang- 
kah,  and  on  all  hands  received  tokens  of  respect 
and  honor.  On  arriving  at  the  jetty,  where  the 
steam-launch  was  waiting,  our  Christians  stood 
and  sang,  *  I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord.' 
Heathen  and  Christian  alike  cheered  us  as  we 
boarded  the  launch.  Two  bands  of  music 
accompanied  us  all  the  way  to  Tamsui  and 
from  the  launch  right  up  to  our  dwelling-house. 
In  front  of  the  door  was  the  climax  of  the  dem- 
onstration. And  all  this  was  from  the  head-men 
and  citizens  of  Bang-kah,  the  erstwhile  Gibraltar 
of  heathenism.  And  thus  was  Bang-kah  taken. 
*  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto 
thy  holy  name,  be  the  glory  !  ' " 
The  French  In  some  respects  the  disturbances  which 
Invasion.  ^^^osQ  in  connection  with  the  French  invasion 
of  1884  were  the  greatest  obstacle  which 
Mackay  had  to  confront.  The  boundary  dis- 
pute between  P'rance  and  China  not  only 
affected  Tonquin,  but  the  French  sent  a  fleet 
into  the  China  Sea,  bombarding  the  Foochow 
forts  and  deploying  eastward  into  North  Formo- 
san  waters.     The  people  were  greatly  enrage:!. 


George   Leslie   Mackay  171 

and  charged  the  missionary  with  being  in 
league  with  France.  They  threatened  con- 
verts with  torture  and  death,  and  swore  that 
their  children  would  be  cut  to  pieces  as  soon 
as  the  first  shot  should  be  fired,  emphasizing 
their  words  with  sharpened  swords  and  knives 
which  were  brandished  over  their  heads. 
Attacks  were  made  by  the  French  with  some 
little  success.  This  set  loose  bands  of  looters 
who  carried  black  flags,  butchered  swine,  and 
drank  liquor  to  excess.  "  The  Christians  were 
the  first  and  special  objects  of  attack,"  writes 
Mackay.  "  Seven  of  the  best  of  our  churches 
were  utterly  destroyed  and  others  were  greatly 
impaired.  At  Toa-liong-pong  the  mob  tore 
down  the  chapel,  and,  having  made  on  the 
site  a  huge  mound,  they  erected  beside  it, 
out  of  the  bricks  of  the  ruined  chapel,  a  pile 
eight  feet  high,  and,  after  plastering  it  over 
with  black  mud,  they  inscribed  on  the  side 
facing  the  road  in  large  Chinese  characters 
the  epitaph  :  '  Mackay,  the  black-bearded  devil, 
lies  here.  His  work  is  ended.'  "  As  for  con- 
verts, they  suffered  torture  and  death  in  vari- 
ous forms.  They  were  drowned  ;  fingers  were 
pinched  between  bamboo  slips  until  the  blood 
trickled  from  them  ;  they  were  hung  by  the 
queue ;  they  lost  their  property  and  their 
churches  ;  and  yet  few  deserted  their  Lord. 
The  anxiety  of  Mackay  for  the  Christians  and 


172  Princely   Men 

the  churches  was  such  that  after  many  sleep- 
less days  an  awful  fever  came  on  and  his  life 
was  despaired  of.  Before  this,  when  a  Brit- 
ish man-of-war  offered  to  take  his  family  and 
valuables  on  board,  he  replied  :  "  Valuables  ! 
The  men  who  were  my  children  in  the  Lord, 
journeyed  with  me,  ministering  to  me  in  sick- 
-ness,  wading  streams,  scaling  mountains,  facing 
danger  by  sea  and  by  land,  never  once  flinch- 
ing before  any  foe  —  they  were  my  valuables  ! 
While  they  were  on  shore  I  would  not  go  on 
board.  If  they  were  to  suffer,  we  would  suffer 
together," 
The  After  the  worst  was  over,  Mackay  and  his 
Aftermath,  f^^jjy  ^gj^^-  ^q  Hongkong  for  a  brief  furlough. 
Returning,  he  encountered  further  perils  from 
the  French ;  but  finally  he  secured  indemnity 
for  losses,  and  the  work  of  restoration  began. 
Church  property  was  his  chief  care,  since  so  few 
had  recanted  that  discipline  was  not  a  serious 
problem.  Instead  of  building  twenty-four  frail 
structures  with  the  indemnity  money,  Mackay 
decided  to  erect  six  substantial,  commodious 
buildings.  He  immediately  drew  the  plans,  mak- 
ing models  out  of  turnips,  brick  and  mortar,  etc. 
In  twelve  weeks  three  splendid  edifices  were 
finished,  with  their  seventy  or  eighty  feet  of 
tower  and  spire  of  solid  masonry.  His  main 
defense  of  such  a  use  of  money  was  that  these 
spires  would  do  more  to  discredit  the   omnipo- 


George   Leslie   Mackay  173 

tent  superstition  of  feng-shui  —  wind  and  water, 
or  geomancy — than  anything  that  could  be 
devised.  Finding  that  the  equilibrium  of  nature 
was  not  apparently  disturbed  by  these  defiant 
fingers  of  stone,  the  beholders  began  seriously 
to  question*the  truth  of  this  superstitious  but 
powerful  foe  to  progress.  Mackay's  speedy  res- 
toration of  the  churches  made  the  people  feel 
that  it  was  useless  to  combat  Christianity,  and 
that  opposition  only  resulted  in  a  strengthening 
of  the  Christian  forces.  The  forty  chapels  of 
ante-French  days  became  forty-five  immediately 
thereafter,  and  soon  grew  to  be  sixty. 

Missionary  touring  in  Formosa  is  anything  but  Touring. 
alluring,  if  one  is  unaccustomed  to  hardship. 
The  few  inns  that  sheltered  the  missionary  at 
night  were  inferior  to  what  he  calls  "Queen's 
Hotel,"  where  he  stayed  on  his  first  tour  after 
arriving  at  Tamsui  with  his  two  English  co- 
workers from  the  south.  Its  plank  beds  with 
legs  of  brick  ;  the  damp  earth  floor  and  smeared 
walls,  alive  with  mukitudinous  and  sundry  small 
cattle  ;  the  stupefying  smell  of  opium-smoking  ; 
the  odor  of  pigs  wallowing  in  filth  at  the  door,  — 
these  are  some  of  the  features  of  itineration  that 
are  not  inviting.  In  the  regions  where  aboriginal 
races  lived,  the  life  was  more  hazardous  and  yet 
more  attractive  to  a  man  like  Mackay.  The  in- 
trepid missionary  could  even  witness  the  horri- 
ble orgies  that  accompanied    the    head-hunting 


174  Princely   Men 

expeditions  of  savages  with  the  same  calmness 
that  he  displayed  when  he  was  among  the 
Chinese. 
4  Christmas  A  Christmas  experience  among  the  savages 
Scene,  j^^  ^j^^^^  describes:  "The  chief's  house  was  one 
large  room  fully  thirty  feet  long,  with  a  fire 
blazing  at  either  end.  Men  stood  around  one 
fire ;  women  squatted  beside  the  other.  There 
were  five  beds  on  poles  along  the  walls.  The 
highest  was  given  to  me  and  one  close  by  to  the 
students.  .  .  .  The  men  smoked,  told  stories, 
and  discussed  the  chase  and  an  expedition  to  the 
border-land  to  be  undertaken  soon.  The  women 
were  busy  threadmaking  on  the  spinning-jenny ; 
and  as  they  wound  the  rliea  they  laughed, 
twitted  one  another,  and  chatted  as  their  sisters 
do  in  Christian  countries.  *  Yes,  sisters  !  for  He 
made  them,  died  for  them,  and  from  the  glory 
bends  on  them  a  brother's  eye.  We  proposed 
a  song,  —  'one  of  the  songs  of  Zion.'  They  all 
looked  and  Hstened  with  evident  interest.  The 
aborigines  are  much  more  musical  than  the 
Chinese.  We  sang  several  hymns,  and,  through 
the  chief's  son,  who  once  visited  me  at  Tamsui; 
I  told  them  of  the  far-away  home  and  of  God's 
love  for  the  world.  It  was  Christmas  night,  and 
away  there  in  a  wild  place  where  no  white  man 
had  ever  been  and  in  the  company  of  men  and 
women  and  little  children  who  never  before 
heard  of  His  coming,  it  sent  a  thrill  to  the  heart 


George   Leslie   Mackay  T75 

to  tell  of  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  the  Man  of 
Nazareth  and  Calvary." 

What  a  contrast  to  that  story  of  the  Prince  A  Contrast 
of  Peace  is  this  paragraph,  descriptive  of  the 
triumphal  return  of  successful  head-hunters ! 
"The  heads  having  been  secured,  the  hunters 
return  with  all  haste  to  the  village.  When  on 
the  peak  of  the  nearest  mountain  they  shout 
their  wild  whoop  of  victory.  The  villagers  have 
been  waiting,  and  when  that  yell  is  heard  a 
party  is  sent  out  to  meet  the  braves  and  escort 
them  home.  All  the  village  is  out  of  doors. 
Old  men  and  women,  youths  and  maidens,  the 
youngest  child  in  the  settlement,  even  the  very 
dogs,  all  know  the  meaning  of  the  yell  and  go 
wild  with  excitement.  They  are  all  on  the  way 
to  welcome  home  the  heroes  Such  shouting, 
shrieking,  and  demon-like  howls !  The  dogs 
seem  as  though  they  were  made  for  nothing  but 
yelping  on  that  one  occasion.  The  hunters 
recite  their  experiences,  —  how  they  escaped 
detection,  how  they  did  the  deed,  perhaps  what 
wounds  they  got  in  the  fray.  Everything  is 
told  with  many  gesticulations,  and  every  point 
is  greeted  with  fresh  demonstrations  of  delight." 
The  dance  of  triumph  around  the  captured 
Chinese  heads,  the  wild  bacchanalian  revel  of  the 
night,  the  eating  of  the  boiled  brain  with  evident 
relish,  —  some  of  which  was  offered  to  Mackay 
as  a   rare  treat,  —  fill  out  the   hellish    picture. 


176  Princely   Men 

This  will  indicate  the  task  before  the  missionary 
who  strives  to  subdue  such  demons  "  to  the  use- 
ful and  the  good." 
A  Peripatetic  These  few  glimpses  show  us  the  field  and  the 
University.  ^^^^  What  were  the  means  which  Mackay 
employed  to  subdue  Chinese,  the  conquered 
aborigines,  and  the  mountain  savages  ?  The 
Gospel  taught  by  word  and  example  was  his 
main  weapon ;  but  he  felt  that  it  was  absolutely 
essential  to  inspire  every  convert  with  ideas  of 
the  necessity  and  privilege  of  testifying  for  his 
Lord,  and  that  the  leaders  of  the  regenerated 
communities  should  be  as  fully  educated  and 
trained  for  their  work  as  was  possible.  Most  of 
this  training  of  leaders  was  done  as  Mackay 
traveled  with  them  from  place  to  place.  Begin- 
ning with  A-hoa,  he  usually  had  with  him  from 
one  to  tM'enty  students  every  day.  If  they  were 
inland,  a  banian  or  clump  of  bamboos  was  the 
classroom  ;  the  Bible  was  the  great  textbook  ; 
specimens  of  every  sort  gathered  by  the  stu- 
dents —  geological,  botanical,  zoological  —  were 
auxiliary  volumes  which  proved  the  power  and 
wisdom  and  glory  of  God.  If  the  university 
happened  to  be  by  the  seashore,  its  students  were 
happy  schoolboys,  diving  in  the  waves  to  bring 
up  rare  specimens,  feeding  on  oysters  opened 
with  a  nail,  and  fishing  with  a  missionary  Walton 
as  their  Mentor.  This  study-play  lasted  until 
four  o'clock,  after  which  time  they  put  to  prac- 


George  Leslie  Mackay  177 

tical  use  their  training  in  debate  and  public 
address  and  personal  dealing  with  inquirers, 
either  in  some  near-by  chapel,  or  at  the  homes 
visited.  No  wonder  that  with  such  an  enthusi- 
astic preceptor,  always  sharing  their  life  with 
them,  these  young  men  became  efficient  workers. 

So  deeply  interested  did   the  people  of  Ox-  Oxford 
ford,  Mackay 's  native  county,  become,  that  they  ^^"^9^- 
raised  money  to  establish  a  college  bearing  the 
Canadian  county's  name.     That  institution,  with 
its  botanical  garden,  lawn,  and  its  museum,  both 
stocked  largely  by  the  students,  became  a  center 
of   light   and    learning   to    all  North  Formosa. 
Mackay  addressed  the  students  from  one  to  five 
times  daily,  they  taking  copious  notes.    Western 
sciences,  history,  theology  of  a  biblical  sort,  and 
homiletics  practically  applied,  were  all  illumin- 
ated by  a  born  teacher  brimming  with  enthusiasm. 
And  Mackay  was  literally  an  educator,  a  drawer- 
out  of  those  who  soon  caught  the  spirit  of  their 
master  and  responded  splendidly  to  his  questions 
and  suggestions.     Always  the  Bible,  the  Shorter 
Catechism,  and  the  hymn-book  were  freely  em- 
ployed,   while    prayer  was  the  heavenly  diapa- 
son which  ran  through   the  entire  college  life. 
Nor  were  the  advantages  of  education  confined 
to  men  alone.    Side  by  side  with  Oxford  College, 
and  with    proportionate    provision   for   efficient 
work,  was    the    Girls'    School,  in  which  future 
wives  of  leaders  and  useful  Bibe  women  were 


lyS  Princely   Men 

taught  reading,  writing,  singing,  Bible  history 
and  geography,  the  Scripture  catechisms,  etc.  In 
the  evening  these  young  women  gathered  in 
the  college  hall  to  listen,  and  to  some  extent 
to  participate  in  those  matchless  programs  of 
Mackay's,  a  sort  of  Formosan  Chautauqua  and 
Welsh  or  Scotch  catechising  combined. 
Doctor  and  Medicine  and  dentistry  were  invaluable  ad- 
Dentist  juncts  in  Mackay's  initial  work,  especially  among 
the  savages.  Probably  no  medical  missionary 
has  extracted  so  many  teeth  as  did  he.  His  first 
tooth,  pried  out  of  a  soldier's  jaw  with  a  bit  of 
hard  wood  in  1873,  was  followed  during  the 
next  twenty  years  by  over  twenty  thousand 
others,  while  his  students  pulled  nearly  half  as 
many  more.  It  is  surprising  to  note  how  many 
persons  became  Christians  because  of  cures  in 
hospital  or  dispensary ;  and  once  and  again  these 
and  other  ex-patients  came  to  his  relief  in  the 
midst  of  perils  where  a  friend  was  greatly 
needed. 
Mackay's  Only  incidental  mention  has  been  made  of 
ramily.  Mackay's  family.  Further  reference  to  the 
matter  is  called  for,  since  his  views  on  the 
subject  are  partly  the  secret  of  his  phenome- 
nal success,  as  well  as  the  occasion  of  some  criti- 
cism. An  early  Dutch  missionary  to  Formosa, 
Rev.  G.  Candidius,  had  advocated  the  policy  of 
marrying  native  women.  While  this  historic 
argument  did  not  decide  Mackay's  course,  some 


George  Leslie  Mackay  179 

of  the  reasons  behind  it  had  weight  with  him.  - 
Formosan  women  are  a  strategic  portion  of  the 
community,  as  being  more  rehgiously  inclined 
than  the  men,  and  as  having  in  their  care  the 
children  of  the  community,  not  to  speak  of  their 
influence  over  their  husbands.  It  is  evident 
that  women  can  best  teach  their  own  sisters ; 
while  if  a  man  attempts  to  do  the  work,  rumors 
may  arise  which  would  blight  his  reputation. 
Unfortunately,  the  climate  of  the  island  is  very 
unhealthful,  and  Mackay  felt  that  it  was  not 
wise  to  ask  Occidental  women  to  come  to  a 
land  of  death.  Moreover,  even  if  they  could 
live  there  in  comparative  health,  they  could 
never  understand  the  language  or  the  people 
as  do  native  women.  These  were  some  of  the 
reasons  why  Mackay  decided  to  marry  a  most 
estimable  Chinese  lady  ;  and  the  result  shows 
that  from  the  standpoint  of  effective  service,  as 
well  as  from  that  of  family  fehcity,  the  experi- 
ment was  successful,  unfortunate  as  it  might  be 
in  the  majority  of  cases.  His  wife  was  able  to 
accompany  him,  and  she  accompHshed  what  no 
white  woman  could  have  done,  while  his  children 
inherited  the  characteristics  of  the  two  most 
virile  races  of  the  world. 

Nothing  has  been  said  of  Mackay 's  colleagues,  His 
and  little  need   be   recorded   of   their   services.  Colleagues, 
From    1875    onward    he   usually    had   a   single 
co-worker  at  a  time  ;  but  scarcely  would  he  get 


i8o  Princely   Men 

into  the  harness,  when  his  own  ill  health  or  that 
of  his  wife  would  ccmpel  withdrawal.  However 
helpful  they  were,  Mackay  was  always  the  prom- 
inent figure,  and  the  native  assistants  trained 
by  him  were  the  pillars  of  the  native  Church. 
His  example  and  precedents  made  the  work  of 
his  successors  comparatively  easy,  and  for  years 
to  come  his  personality  will  mark  the  mission. 

Furloughs.  Twice  Mackay  visited  the  home-land,  and 
each  time  the  Canadian  churches  were  stirred 
by  the  apostolic  zeal  of  the  tamer  of  human 
beasts,  their  St.  Paul  who  had  been  in  deaths 
oft.  The  presence  of  his  Chinese  wife  and  his 
children,  as  well  as  of  a  native  assistant,  were 
added  stimuli  that  created  deep  interest  in  far 
Formosa.  Perhaps  no  man  in  Canada  has  done 
so  much  to  awaken  missionary  enthusiasm  and 
to  impart  strong  convictions  as  did  this  Httle 
black-bearded  man  of  Zorra.  A  divine  daring, 
Pentecostal  power,  which  God  had  imparted  to 
him  to  such  an  extent  that  in  one  revival  in 
eastern  Formosa  Mackay  saw  more  than  two 
thousand  idolaters  forsake  their  deities  and 
devote  their  temples  to  God's  service,  and  an 
eloquence  which,  clothed  in  poetical  prose  and 
biblical  phrase,  swayed  vast  audiences,  made 
Mackay  Canada's  typical  missionary  hero. 
Japanese       Japan's  war  with  China  in    1895-96  and  the 

Occupation,  consequent  Japanese  occupation   of   the   island 
resulted  in  a  second  testing  of  the  Formosan 


George  Leslie  Mackay  i8i 

Church.  Because  of  Chinese  misrepresentation, 
many  Christians  suffered  martydom,  some  seven 
hundred  members  being  lost  by  death  and  re- 
moval. Dr.  Mackay  was  in  Canada  during  most 
of  this  period,  his  colleague,  Mr.  Gauld,  being 
in  charge  of  the  mission.  The  introduction 
of  the  Japanese  language  into  schools  and  the 
new  Government's  stringent  medical  regula- 
tions temporarily  closed  both  college  and  hos- 
pital ;  but,  on  the  whole,  the  work  of  missions 
was  the  gainer  by  this  fiery  trial.  The  Jap- 
anese had  a  greater  appreciation  of  Christianity 
than  the  Chinese,  while  the  latter  transferred 
their  dislike  for  Occidentals  to  their  new  Ori- 
ental masters,  thus  making  the  missionaries  and  ' 
their  cause  more  acceptable  than  they  had  pre- 
viously been. 

Engaged  in  the  work  of  restoration  and  in  The  End. 
making  those  modifications  necessitated  by  the 
new  order  introduced  by  Japan,  Mackay's  last 
years  were  spent.  In  September,  1900,  he 
went  to  Hongkong  for  the  treatment  of  what 
was  supposed  to  be  ulceration  of  the  throat. 
Though  there  was  relief  for  a  time,  the  disease 
developed,  and  on  June  2,  1901,  the  hero  of  the 
Beautiful  Isle  passed  through  the  gates  into 
the  city  of  supernal  beauty.  Very  appropriately 
he  died  in  the  work,  even  though  it  was  in 
delirium  that  he  rose  in  the  night  and  went  to 
the  College,  where  he  sat  in  his  chair  and  con- 


1 82  Princely   Men 

ducted  an  imaginary  examination.  The  news 
of  his  departure  brought  to  the  native  Chris- 
tians an  unaffected  sorrow  which  was  pathetic, 
while,  flashed  beneath  the  ocean  by  the  light- 
ning, it  struck  something  akin  to  consternation 
into  the  Church  which  had  commissioned  him 
and  which  he  so  dearly  loved.  His  last  mes- 
sage to  them  was  the  paean  of  ultimate  victory  : 
"  Will  Formosa  be  won  for  Christ  ?  No  matter 
what  may  come  in  the  way,  the  final  victory  is 
as  sure  as  the  existence  of  God.  With  that 
thought  firmly  fixed,  there  will  be  but  one 
shout,  'And  blessed  be  his  glorious  name  for- 
ever ;  and  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his 
glory.  Amen,  and  Amen.'  " 
A  Missionary  Mackay's  example  was  also  a  most  valuable 
Idea  iQg^Qy^  Sq  anxious  to  increase  the  range  of  his 
knowledge  that  he  burned  the  midnight  oil, 
often  catching  only  three  hours  of  sleep ;  so 
desirous  of  seeing  his  work  advance  along  all 
lines  that,  "while  superintending  the  work  of 
two  hundred  men  employed  in  the  erection  of 
churches,  he  dispensed  medicines  to  hundreds, 
preached  daily,  taught  the  students  at  night, 
and  in  the  three  months  traveled  i,6oo  miles 
on  foot,"  besides  repairing  two  other  chapels 
and  opening  a  new  station  ;  so  childlike  in  his 
faith  that  the  Bible  was  the  indubitable  revela- 
tion of  God  and  Jesus  a  yoke-fellow  always  at 
his   side ;     so    tender   that    the    martyrdom    or 


George  Leslie  Mackay  183 

suffering  of  his  people  moved  him  to  indigna- 
tion or  to  a  sympathy  like  that  of  a  loving 
mother;  so  Paulike  that  his  theology  might 
have  been  learned  from  the  great  apostle's 
lips,  while  the  rapid  increase  of  native  churches 
was  not  excelled  in  Greece  or  Asia  Minor  ;  —  such 
a  man  was  the  exemplar  for  his  later  Canadian 
followers,  and  an  illustration  of  what  God  will 
enable  those  to  do  who  fully  consecrate  them- 
selves to  His  service  in  His  neglected  harvest- 
fields. 


Rev.    Horace  Tracy  Pitkin 


PRINCELY  MARTYRS  OF 

CHINA'S  SPIRITUAL 

RENAISSANCE 

Crowned  during  the  Boxer   Uprising  in  China 

IN    THE    year    1900 

AN    EXTRACT    FROM   THE    MISSIONARY 
COMMISSION 

"  And  brother  shall  deliver  up  brother  to  death,  and  the  father  his  child  : 
and  children  shall  rise  up  against  parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put  to 
death.  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake  :  but  he  that 
endureth  to  the  end,  the  same  shall  be  saved.  But  when  they  persecute 
you  in  this  city,  flee  into  the  next :  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not 
have  gone  through  the  cities  of  Israel,  till  the  Son  of  man  be  come."  —  St. 
Matthew  10  :  21-23. 

THE    AGONY,  — *' NOT   MY  WILL,    BUT 
THINE,    BE   DONE" 

"  Women  received  their  dead  by  a  resurrection  :  and  others  were  tor- 
tured, not  accepting  their  deliverance,  that  they  might  obtain  a  better 
resurrection  :  and  others  had  trials  of  mockings  and  scourgings,  yea,  more- 
over of  bonds  and  imprisonment :  they  were  stoned,  they  were  sawn  asun- 
der, they  were  tempted,  they  were  slain  with  the  sword:  they  went  about 
in  sheepskins,  in  goatskins  ;  being  destitute,  afflicted,  evil  entreated  (of 
whom  the  world  was  not  worthy),  wandering  in  deserts  and  mountains  and 
caves,  and  the  holes  of  the  earth." —  Hebrews  11  :  35-38. 

THE  CORONATION  OF  THE  MARTYRS 

'.'And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me.  These  which  are 
arrayed  in  the  white  robes,  who  are  they,  and  whence  came  they?  And  I 
say  unto  him,  My  lord,  thou  knowest.  And  "he  said  to  me.  These  are 
they  which  come  out  of  the  great  tribulation,  and  they  washed  their  robes, 
and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are  they  before 
the  throne  of  God  ;  and  they  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple  :  and 
he  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  spread  his  tabernacle  over  them.  They 
shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more  ;  neither  shall  the  sun  strike 
upon  them,  nor  any  heat :  for  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 
shall  be  their  shepherd,  and  shall  guide  them  unto  fountains  of  waters  of 
life:  and  God  shall  wipe  away  every  tear  from  their   eyes."  —  Revelation 


SOME    DATES    AND    EVENTS    IN    CONNEC- 
TION  WITH  THE    BOXER    UPRISING 
OF  1900 

British  Minister  denounces  Yii  Hsien  for  aiding  the  Boxers. 

He  reports  Yii  Hsien's  appointment  as  Shansi's  Governor. 

Destruction  of  Catholic  villages  and  converts  reported. 

Destruction  of  London  Missionary  Society's  chapel. 

Railway  between  Peking  and  Tientsin  torn  up. 

Legation  guards  reach  Peking. 

Imperial  decree  justifying  action  of  the  Boxers. 

Massacre  of  T'ung  Chow  Christians. 

Vice-admiral  Seymour  and  troops  start  for  Peking. 

Chancellor  of  Japanese  Legation  in  Peking  murdered. 

Tientsin  native  city  in  hands  of  the  Boxers. 

War  determined  upon  by  Grand  Council  ;   Peking  completely 
isolated. 

Taku  forts  taken. 

German  Minister  murdered  ;  siege  of  legation  begins, 

Yang-tzii  Viceroys  promise  protection  to  foreigners. 

Imperial  decree  praises  Boxers  and  orders  their  support. 

Tientsin  native  city  captured  by  Allies  ;  Presbyterians  of  Pao- 
ting  Fu  burned. 

American   Board  and  China  Inland  missionaries  slain  at  Pao- 
ting  Fu. 
2.     Imperial  edict  ordering  expulsion  of  foreigners  and  persecution 

of  native  Christians. 
9.     Great  massacre  of  missionaries  at  T'ai-yiian  Fu. 
Aug.    2.     Edict  issued  disclaiming  responsibility  of  mis3ionaries  and  mer- 
chants for  the  war. 
14.     Allies  enter  Peking  and  relieve  legationers  and  missionaries. 


Jan. 

17. 

Mar 

•  15. 

May 

■  17- 

18. 

29. 

31- 

June 

'    7. 

8. 

10. 

II. 

15- 

16. 

17- 

20. 

26. 

28. 

30. 

July 

I. 

VI 

PRINCELY    MARTYRS    OF 

CHINA'S    SPIRITUAL 

RENAISSANCE 

The  closing  year  of  the  most  remarkable  The  Year 
century  in  history  saw  no  event  that  began  to  '^  ' 
compare  in  painful  interest  and  in  international 
significance  with  the  Boxer  Uprising  in  China, 
with  its  awful  sufferings  and  aftermath.  So 
far  as  Christianity  is  concerned,  the  persecution 
and  martyrdoms  witnessed  during  that  year  are 
hardly  exceeded  by  the  record  of  any  twelve 
months  of  the  nineteen  Christian  centuries.  As 
"the  curse  that  is  causeless  lighteth  not,"  and 
as  the  present  status  of  Chinese  missionaries 
and  their  converts  can  not  be  fully  appreciated 
without  a  knowledge  of  conditions  leading  to 
the  sanguinary  uprising,  some  of  these  will  be 
indicated. 

Those  of  the  people  who  were  most  active  in  Causes  of  the 

the  Boxer  cause  were  actuated  by  an  industrial  ^°^^S. 

,     .  Uprising. 

grievance.      China's  dense  populations  and  the 

consequent    intense    competition    make    it    im- 

187 


1 88  Princely  Men 

possible  to  introduce  the  manufactured  products 
of  the  West,  its  labor-saving  machines,  its  appli- 
cations of  steam  and  electricity  to  manufacture 
and  transportation,  without  threatening  the  ex- 
istence of  millions  of  persons  who  can  not  but  be 
affected  thereby.  Thus  the  tearing  up  of  the 
railway  in  the  summer  of  1900  was  largely  due 
to  boatmen  and  carters  of  T'ung  Chow,  who 
had  been  deprived  of  the  means  of  livelihood 
through  the  Peking-Tientsin  railway.  The  en- 
croachment of  foreign  powers  had  the  same 
effect  upon  the  Chinese  government  that  man- 
ufactured goods  and  improved  means  of  com- 
munication exerted  upon  the  common  people. 
Great  Britain  had  long  ago  gained  a  foothold  at 
Hongkong,  and  shortly  before  Japan  had  taken 
possession  of  Formosa,  Russia  of  Port  Arthur, 
Germany  of  Kiao-chow,  and  Great  Britain  of 
Wei-hai-wei,  while  France  was  clamoring  for  a 
large  slice  of  southern  China,  and  even  Italy 
wanted  San-men  Bay.  England's  relation  to  the 
great  Yang-tzu  valley  and  America's  open-door 
policy  also  looked  like  a  very  real  possession  of 
Chinese  assets.  Apparently,  China  would  soon 
lose  everything,  and  now  was  the  time  to  take  a 
stand  against  unrighteous  aggression,  especially 
as  Western  syndicates  were  harpies  who  shel- 
tered themselves  under  Occidental  patronage 
and  battened  on  concessions  extorted  by  the 
consuls    and    ministers  of   their    nations.     The 


Princely   Martyrs  189 

new  reform  movement  within  the  Empire  itself 
and  the  chronic  unrest  under  a  foreign  dynasty 
added  to  the  troubles  of  the  Throne.  The 
Manchu  rulers  seemed  doomed  if  reformers, 
aided  and  abetted  by  the  foreign  press  of  the 
Empire,  which  did  not  scruple  to  print  treason- 
able utterances,  were  not  speedily  repressed. 
As  their  common  hatred  of  foreign  encroach- 
ment was  a  point  upon  which  the  Chinese 
people,  their  Manchu  rulers,  and  most  of  the 
reformers  could  unite,  now  was  the  hour  for 
concerted  and  decisive  action.  Religion  was 
more  a  pretense  than  a  reality  in  the  move- 
ment ;  yet  it  served  an  excellent  purpose  under 
the  guidance  of  Buddhist  priests,  while  Taoist 
teachings  for  centuries  had  caused  many  of  the 
people  to  believe  such  impossible  stories  as  the 
Boxers  made  their  stock  in  trade,  —  the  invul- 
nerability of  their  followers  to  bullets  of  the 
enemy,  the  assistance  of  maidens  riding  in  the 
air  and  of  hosts  of  demon  and  spirit  auxiliaries, 
and  other  equally  baseless  assertions. 

Unthinking  and  hostile  writers  have  blamed  Missions  and 
the  missionaries  for  this  cataclysm  of  woes.  It  ^oxensm. 
is  undoubtedly  true  that  they  had  something 
to  do  with  the  outbreak.  The  Catholics,  espe- 
cially after  March  15,  1899,  when  they  secured 
the  edict  granting  official  rank  to  every  order  of 
their  hierarchy,  were  more  than  ever  active  in 
rendering  their  converts  aid  in  lawsuits.     This 


190  Princely  Men 

only  increased  the  friction  between  officials  and 
Catholics,  particularly  as  it  encouraged  many  law- 
less men  to  feign  conversion  in  order  to  promote 
their  wicked  schemes.  As  the  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries refused  to  a.vail  themselves  of  the  same 
right  to  official  rank  that  the  Roman  Church 
had  extorted  from  the  government,  it  placed 
them  at  a  disadvantage  in  some  respects  ;  and 
friction  between  their  Christians  and  CathoHc 
converts  became  more  serious.  All  disturbances 
among  converts  were  indiscriminately  spoken  of 
as  due  to  our  religion,  so  that  the  Protestants 
suffered  from  the  evils  of  Catholic  wrong-doing. 
Moreover,  Protestants  took  stronger  grounds 
than  the  Romanists  against  the  evils  of  ancestral 
worship ;  and  in  the  matter  of  contributing  to 
theatrical  exhibitions  and  idolatrous  ceremonies 
they  were  more  conscientious,  thus  provoking  the 
ill  will  of  their  neighbors.  Then  the  inevitable 
antagonism  between  a  religion  that  is  from  above 
and  systems  that  are  merely  human  entered  into 
the  field,  and  light  and  darkness  were  pitted 
against  each  other.  While  these  are  facts  that 
must  be  acknowledged,  it  is  wrong  to  say 
that  Christianity  is  responsible  for  the  Boxer 
outbreak.  The  movement  was  directed  against 
everything  foreign,  and  the  chief  sin  of  the 
Christian  was  that  he  was  a  professor  of  a  for- 
eign religion  and  a  friend  of  foreigners.  A  hun- 
dred merchants  in  the  far  interior  would  have 


Princely   Martyrs  191 

been  as  ruthlessly  slain  as  were  the  same  num- 
ber of  missionaries.  The  reason  why  the  latter 
were  practically  the  only  ones  massacred  was 
that  they  alone  had  the  right  by  treaty  to  reside 
in  the  interior,  and  both  missionaries  and  mer- 
chants on  the  coast  and  in  the  ports  were  pro- 
tected by  Western  arms. 

Providentially,  the  martyrdoms  of  1900  did  Chines^e 
not  extend  throughout  the  Empire.  The  mis-  ^^^f^^^^^s 
sionaries  and  their  children  who  suffered  death 
met  their  fate  in  the  following  provinces  :  in 
Shantung,  i;  in  Chekiang,  1 1  ;  in  Chihli,  17; 
in  Shansi  and  over  the  Mongolian  border,  159. 
The  imperial  province  of  Chihli  —  which  means 
*'  Direct  Rule,"  as  it  is  the  one  in  which  the 
Emperor  lives  and  hence  rules  with  greatest 
strictness  —  permitted  to  be  slain  in  its  capital, 
Pao-ting  Fu,  eleven  adult  missionaries  and  four 
children ;  while  at  the  capital  of  Shansi,  T'ai-yiian 
Fu,  forty-five  missionaries  and  their  children, 
including  twelve  Catholics,  were  put  to  death 
in  front  of  the  governor's  yamen.  That  some 
eighty-four  per  cent  of  the  missionaries  massa- 
cred suffered  in  this  province  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  Governor  Yu  Hsien  had  been  the  official 
indorser  and  abettor  of  the  Boxers.  The  central 
and  southern  provinces  we^e  saved  from  the  sin  of 
slaying  missionaries  largely  because  of  the  facts 
that  three  of  the  most  powerful  viceroys  entered 
into  an  agreement    that   order   should   be  pre- 


Persecutors 


192  Princely  Men 

served,  if  foreigners  granted  certain  favoring 
conditions,  and  that,  being  farther  from  the 
source  of  authority,  they  could  more  easily  devi- 
ate from  the  letter  of  decrees,  while  their  more 
intimate  knowledge  of  foreign  nations  enabled 
them  better  to  deal  with  such  complications. 
The  Though  the  Empress  Dowager  and  the  Court 
were  at  the  head  of  the  general  movement 
against  the  foreigners,  the  immediate  agents 
were  almost  always  the  Boxers  themselves. 
This  body,  known  as  I  Ho  Ch'iian, —  "  Righteous 
Harmony  Fists," — was  largely  made  up  of  young 
men,  and  even  boys,  who  went  through  certain 
exercises  and  submitted  to  a  crude  sort  of  hyp- 
notism, many  of  them  in  the  belief  that  they 
were  thereby  made  invulnerable,  and  became 
allies  of  demons  and  deities  of  earth  and  heaven. 
The  activity  and  rapid  spread  of  these  bands, 
armed  with  great  swords  and  glorying  'in  blood, 
were  increased  by  the  long-continued  drought. 
"  Repeated  fasts  were  proclaimed ;  sacrifices 
were  made  at  all  the  famous  temples  and  shrines  ; 
live  frogs  were  buried  at  the  various  springs  ; 
the  south  gate  of  the  cities  were  closed ;  but  all 
in  vain."  The  iterated  suggestion  that  the 
impending  famine  was  due  to  the  <<  foreign 
devils  "  would  have  been  sufficient  to  fire  the 
train  and  precipitate  the  inevitable  explosion, 
even  if  there  had  been  no  supposedly  inspired 
placards  to  inflame  the  frenzied  Boxers. 


Princely  Martyrs  193 

How  greatly  these  moved  the  people  may  be  A  Boxer 
judged  by  extracts  from  a  single  one ;  "  In  a  ^^"^"''^• 
certain  street  in  Peking  some  worshipers  of  the 
I  Ho  Ch'iian  at  midnight  saw  a  spirit  descend 
in  their  midst.  The  spirit  was  silent  for  a  long 
time,  and  all  the  congregation  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  prayed.  Then  a  terrible  voice  was 
heard,  saying : 

"*I  am  none  other  than  the  Great  Yii  Ti 
[God  of  the  unseen  world]  come  down  to  you 
in  person.  Well  knowing  that  ye  are  all  of 
devout  mind,  I  have  just  now  descended  to 
make  known  to  you  that  these  are  times  of 
trouble  in  the  world,  and  that  it  is  impossible 
to  set  aside  the  decrees  of  fate.  Disturbances 
are  to  be  dreaded  from  the  foreign  devils; 
everywhere  they  are  starting  missions,  erecting 
telegraphs,  and  building  railways  ;  they  do  not 
believe  in  the  sacred  doctrine,  and  they  speak 
evil  of  the  gods.  Their  sins  are  numberless  as 
the  hairs  of  the  head.  Therefore  am  I  wroth, 
and  my  thunders  have  pealed  forth.  By  night 
and  by  day  have  I  thought  of  these  things. 
Should  I  command  my  generals  to  come  down 
to  earth,  even  they  would  not  have  strength  to 
change  the  course  of  fate.  For  this  reason  I 
have  given  forth  my  decree  that  I  shall  descend 
to  earth  at  the  head  of  all  the  saints  and  spirits ; 
and  that  wherever  the  I  Ho  Ch'iian  are  gathered 
together,  there  shall  the  gods  be  in  the  midst  of 


194  Princely   Men 

them.  I  have  also  to  make  known  to  all  the 
righteous  in  the  thr-^e  worlds  that  they  must  be 
of  one  mind  and  all  practice  the  cult  of  the 
I  Ho  Ch'iian,  that  so  the  wrath  of  heaven  may 
be  appeased. 

"  '  So  soon  as  the  practice  of  the  I  Ho  Ch'iian 
has  been  brought  to  perfection,  —  wait  for  three 
times  three  or  nine  times  nine,  nine  times  nine 
or  three  times  three,  —  then  shall  the  devils 
meet  their  doom.  The  will  of  heaven  is  that 
the  telegraph  wires  be  first  cut,  then  the  rail- 
ways torn  up,  and  then  shall  the  foreign  devils 
be  decapitated.  In  that  day  shall  the  hour  of 
their  calamities  come.  The  time  for  rain  to  fall 
is  yet  afar  off,  and  all  on  account  of  the  devils. 

"  '  I  hereby  make  known  these  commands  to 
all  you  righteous  folk,  that  ye  may  strive  with 
one  accord  to  exterminate  all  foreign  devils,  and 
so  turn  aside  the  wrath  of  heaven.  This  shall 
be  accounted  unto  you  for  well  doing ;  and  on 
the  day  when  it  is  done,  the  wind  and  rain  shall 
be  according  to  your  desire.  Therefore  I  ex- 
pressly command  you  to  make  this  known  in 
every  place.  *  '* 
The       It  is  manifestly  impossible  to  sketch  fully  the 

rai-yuan  suffering's  of  martyrs,  both  Chinese  and  foreign. 

Martyrs,  r^.        ,  ^  u  r        •     •  •  ^  ^ 

ihe   largest    number    of    missionaries    suffered 

martyrdom  in  the  capital  of  Shansi,   T'ai-yiian 

Fu,  and  of  that  scene  a  Baptist  convert's  account, 

in  "  China  in  Convulsion,"  gives  a  graphic  picture. 


Princely   Martyrs  195 

"The  first  to  be  led  forth  was  Mr.  Farthing. 
His  wife  clung  to  him,  but  he  gently  put  her 
aside,  and  going  in  front  of  the  soldiers  knelt 
down  without  saying  a  word,  and  his  head  was 
struck  off  by  one  blow  of  the  executioner's 
knife.  He  was  quickly  followed  by  Mr.  Hoddle 
and  Mr.  Beynon,  Drs.  Lovitt  and  Wilson,  each 
of  whom  was  beheaded  by  one  blow  of  the  exe- 
cutioner. Then  the  Governor,  Yii  Hsien,  grew 
impatient  and  told  his  body-guard,  all  of  whom 
carried  heavy  swords  with  long  handles,  to  help 
kill  the  others.  Mr.  Stokes,  Mr.  Simpson,  and 
Mr.  Whitehouse  were  next  killed,  the  last  by 
one  blow  only,  the  other  two  by  several. 

"  When  the  men  were  finished  the  ladies  were  l^omen  and 
taken.  Mrs.  Farthing  had  hold  of  the  hands  of  ^^'^'^''e"- 
her  children,  who  clung  to  her ;  but  the  soldiers 
parted  them  and  with  one  blow  beheaded  their 
mother.  The  executioner  beheaded  all  the  chil- 
dren  and  did  it  skillfully,  needing  but  one  blow ; 
but  the  soldiers  were  clumsy,  and  some  of  the 
ladies  suffered  several  cuts  before  death.  Mrs. 
Lovitt  was  wearing  her  spectacles,  and  held  the 
hand  of  her  little  boy  even  when  she  was  killed. 
She  spoke  to  the  people,  saying,  '  We  all  came 
to  China  to  bring  you  the  good  news  of  the  sal- 
vation by  Jesus  Christ ;  we  have  done  you  no 
harm,  only  good  ;  why  do  you  treat  us  so  .?  '  A 
soldier  took  off  her  spectacles  before  beheading 
her,  which  needed  two  blows. 


196  Princely   Men 

Catholic  ''When  the  Protestants  had  been  killed, 
Deaths,  ^.j^g  Roman  Catholics  were  led  forward.  The 
bishop,  an  old  man  with  a  long  white  beard, 
asked  the  Governor  why  he  was  doing  this 
wicked  deed.  I  did  not  hear  the  Governor  give 
him  any  answer,  but  he  drew  his  sword  and  cut 
the  bishop  across  the  face  one  heavy  stroke; 
blood  poured  down  his  white  beard,  and  he  was 
beheaded.  The  priests  and  nuns  quickly  fol- 
lowed him  in  death. 

The  Pigott  "  Then  Mr.  Pigott  and  his  party  were  led 
Family.  £j.qj^  ^j^^  district  jail,  which  is  close  by.  He 
was  still  handcuffed,  and  so  was  Mr.  Robinson. 
He  preached  to  the  people  till  the  very  last, 
when  he  was  beheaded  with  one  blow.  Mr. 
Robinson  suffered  death  very  calmly.  Mrs. 
Pigott  held  the  hand  of  her  son  even  when  she 
was  beheaded,  and  he  was  killed  immediately 
after  her.  The  ladies  and  two  girls  were  also 
quickly  killed. 

Summary.  "  On  that  day  forty-five  foreigners  were  be- 
headed in  all,  —  thirty-three  Protestants  and 
twelve  Roman  Catholics.  A  number  of  native 
Christians  were  killed  also.  The  bodies  of  all 
were  left  where  they  fell  till  the  next  morning, 
as  it  was  evening  before  the  work  was  finished. 
During  the  night  they  had  been  stripped  of 
their  clothing,  rings,  and  watches.  The  next 
day  they  were  removed  to  a  place  inside  the 
great    south    gate,   except    some  of  the  heads. 


Princely   Martyrs  197 

which  were  placed  in  cages  on  the  gates  of  the 
city  wall.  All  were  surprised  at  the  firmness 
and  quietness  of  the  foreigners,  none  of  whom, 
except  two  or  three  of  the  children,  cried  or 
made  any  noise."  One  of  these  boys,  Wellesley 
Pigott,  had  said  before  returning  from  England 
to  China  two  years  before,  "  You  can't  be  mar- 
tyrs in  England,  but  my  father  and  mother  and 
I  might  be  martyrs  in  China." 

Far  harder  to  bear  than  the  brief  moment  of  Living 
suffering  which  befell  the  martyrs  of  T'ai-yiian  Martyrdom. 
were  the  prolonged  agonies  and  anxieties  of 
many  missionaries  who  escaped.  Another  ex- 
tract from  the  volume  just  quoted  will  abun- 
dantly prove  this  statement  :  "  The  stories  of 
the  tragedies  connected  with  those  who  at  last 
escaped  from  their  tormentors,  yet  so  as  by  fire, 
are  among  the  most  touching  memorials  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  any  age.  Men,  women, 
and  children  were  besieged  in  their  own  dwell- 
ings, and  when  these  had  been  fired,  were 
speared  and  stabbed  as  they  endeavored  to  es- 
cape, or  were  thrust  back  into  the  flames.  They 
were  driven  forth  from  their  homes  as  outcasts 
unfit  to  live,  robbed  of  their  scanty  possessions 
at  every  turn,  until,  in  the  blistering  heats  of 
June,  July,  and  August,  they  were  bareheaded, 
barefooted,  and  in  many  cases  possessed  of  only 
the  clothing  upon  their  bodies.  In  repeated 
instances  ladies  were  left  but  a  single  garment, 


198  Princely   Men 

and  on  more  than  one  occasion  a  missionary  was 
deprived  of  every  stitch  of    clothing,   standing 
naked  upon  the  streets  of  the  most  inhospitable  . 
villages  of  Shansi.      One  Catholic  priest  escaped 
only  by  being  carried  a  long  distance  in  a  coffin. 

Hunted.  "They  were  continually  not  only  under 
that  observation  without  sympathy,  which  Mrs. 
Browning  calls  torture,  but  were  everywhere, 
for  days  and  weeks  in  succession,  confronted 
by  mobs,  chased  from  villages  into  mountains 
and  swamps,  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  aban- 
doned huts,  in  graveyards,  and  often  in  caves 
of  the  earth.  They  were  hunted  by  armed 
bands  like  wild  beasts,  and  when  caught  were 
beaten,  dragged  on  the  ground, —  one  of  the 
ladies  was  purposely  run  over  by  a  cart  to 
kill  her, —  were  tied  hand  and  foot  and  carried 
to  Boxer  altars,  that  it  might  be  decided  by  the 
spirits  when,  where,  and  how  they  should  be 
murdered.  Sometimes  they  were  saved  because 
the  villagers  were  afraid  to  have  them  killed  in 
their  village,  sometimes  by  a  timely  fall  of  rain, 
and  again  by  the  instinctive  pity  of  Chinese  for 
the  suffering  children  and  the  agony  of  their 
mothers. 

Light  in       «  Repeated  efforts  were  made  to  poison  them  ; 

Gloom,  ^^gy  were  often  almost  starved,  and  compelled 

to  subsist  on  roots  and  leaves.     Some  of  them 

were  delirious  from  uncared-for  wounds,  and   all 

were  subjected  to  the  continued  nervous   strain 


Princely   Martyrs  199 

of  incessant  alarms  by  day  and  by  night.  They 
were  the  victims  of  repeated  and  deUberate 
treachery  on  the  part  of  officials,  soldiers,  and 
professed  guides.  Yet  amid  the  almost  all-per- 
vading gloom  some  act  of  human  kindness  would 
lighten  their  sky.  Some  officials  were  most 
friendly,  and  would  have  been  still  more  so  had 
they  dared."  Surely  such  experiences  go  to 
prove  that  the  heroes  of  the  eleventh  chapter 
of  Hebrews  have  their  successors  in  our  own 
time. 

Before  describing  in  fuller  detail  individual  Chinese 
cases  of  missionary  martyrdom,  some  account  ^^''^ 
must  be  given  of  a  few  of  the  noble  lives,  out  ^'' ^''^ 
of  an  aggregate  of  some  tens  of  thousands, 
which  were  gladly  offered  unto  God  by  the 
Chinese  Church.  Even  children  did  not  shrink 
from  the  awful  pains  of  cruel  deaths.  Thus 
two  boys,  aged  thirteen  and  fourteen,  were  mak- 
ing their  escape  from  T'ung  Chow,  near  Peking, 
when  the  Boxers  seized  them  and  began  their 
examination.  The  boys  boldly  confessed  that 
they  were  of  the  Jesus  Church,  and  when  their 
captors  were  about  to  bind  them  and  carry 
them  to  the  place  of  execution,  they  said : 
**You  need  not  bind  us.  We  will  not  try  to 
get  away.  Every  step  we  take  to  your  altar 
is  one  step  nearer  heaven."  And  soon  they 
joined  the  blood-bought  throng  above.  A  little 
fellow  of  ten,  belonging  to  a  Christian  family 


200  Princely   Men 

in  the  K'ai  P'ing  circuit  and  baptized  in  infancy, 
was  caught,  and  asked  if  he  were  a  Christian. 
Answering  in  the  affirmative,  he  was  again 
asked  if  he  would  forsake  Jesus.  He  boldly 
refused  and  was  immediately  cut  down. 
Two  School  The  young  women  of  the  Church,  instead  of 
Teachers,  bgjj^g  j^gs  courageous  than  older  women  and 
men,  were  often  the  bravest  confessors,  as 
witness  these  two  cases  of  former  students 
at  the  Peking  Girls'  High-school.  Hsii  Hui- 
fang  had  been  teaching  for  some  years  at 
Tsun-hua,  but  when  the  trouble  began  she 
was  in  Peking.  Her  friends  tried  to  persuade 
her  not  to  risk  returning  to  the  post,  but  her 
reply  was,  "  Miss  Croucher  has  made  me 
responsible  for  the  girls,  and  I  must  go." 
The  Boxers  soon  came  to  Tsun-hua  and  car- 
ried the  girls  away  as  prisoners.  They  were 
finally  liberated  and  Miss  Hsii  was  taken  by 
a  Christian  to  the  mountains.  Here  the  Box- 
ers followed  her  and  shot  her  in  the  face.  It 
was  not  a  fatal  wound,  and  she  returned  to 
the  plain  for  food,  where  she  was  twice  caught, 
and  offered  life  and  wealth,  either  as  the  con- 
cubine of  a  high  official  or  as  the  second 
wife  of  a  wealthy  farmer.  Through  thirty 
days  of  dreadful  trial  she  refused  all  their 
offers  and  persisted  in  clinging  to  her  faith. 
She  was  finally  carried  to  a  neighboring  city, 
and  an  attempt  to  behead  her  was  made  ;  but 


Princely  Martyrs  aoi 

the  executioner's  sword  broke  in  twain  on  her 
neck,  whereupon  the  rabble  rushed  upon  her, 
piercing  her  with  spears,  after  which  she  was 
sliced  and  burned. 

Another  woman  teacher  in  the  same  city,  Liu  Wen-Ian. 
named  Liu  Wen-Ian,  was  captured  with  sev- 
enteen of  the  school  girls  and  others.  "As 
they  were  being  led  to  a  place  of  execution, 
she  reminded  them  how  the  Master  was  perse- 
cuted and  killed  and  afterwards  ascended  into 
heaven ;  how  the  disciples  one  after  another 
had  met  death  because  of  their  faith,  and  she 
continued,  'Though  we  are  not  worthy  to  die 
for  Him,  we  are  ready  and  willing  to  do  so  and 
will  depend  upon  His  grace  to  save  us. '  "  A 
young  man,  formerly  a  student  at  the  Peking 
University,  whose  faith  had  grown  cokl,  was 
with  them,  and  she  exhorted  him  in  English 
to  repent  and  prepare  for  death.  So  angered 
were  the  Boxers  by  her  zeal  that  they  threat- 
ened to  kill  her  at  once.  At  her  desire  they 
waited  long  enough  for  her  to  testify  to  the 
people  of  her  Christian  faith ;  and  then  she 
said,  after  covering  her  head  with  a  handker- 
chief, "  We  shall  soon  be  in  heaven  ;  kill  me 
now."  Her  fearless  death  nerved  her  compan- 
ions for  the  coming  trial. 

Shortly    before    the    outbreak,    a   marvelous  Men 
revival  swept  over  the   region  about  to    suffer  Students. 
most.      The   power   of    the    Holy    Spirit    was 


2oa  Princely  Men 

especially  manifest  in  the  College  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  at  T'ung  Chow  and  in  the  Peking 
University  of    the    Methodists,  thus    preparing 
the    students    and    Christians    for   the    fearful 
persecutions  soon  to  come.     Tou  Lien-ming,  a 
senior  in  the  Peking   University,  was  especially 
moved  during  those  days  of  blessing,  and  when 
the  Boxers  caught  him  at  his  distant   home,  he 
was  ordered  to  burn  incense  and  knock  his  head 
on  the  ground  before  the   idols.     Refusing,  the 
mob  cried  out,  "  He  is    a  devil  of   the   second 
class."     Denying  the  charge,  they  asked,  "What 
are  you  then  }  "     Straightening  himself  to  his 
full  height,  he  calmly  replied,  "  I  am  a  Christian ;" 
and  then,  in   answer  to   questions,  he  explained 
what  it  meant  to  be  a  follower  of  Jesus.     The 
mob  desired  to  kill  him  on  the  spot,  but  others 
said,  "  No,  no,  not  here  ;  it  is  not  proper  to  kill 
him  in  front  of  the  temple.     Take  him  to  the 
street  which  has  been  set  apart  for  the  slaughter 
of  devils."     This  gave  him  a  further  opportunity 
to  explain  Christianity  and  to  exhort  them  to  ac- 
cept it.     Many  of  his  hearers  were  so  pricked  at 
heart   that  they  desired  to  save  him,  but  it  was 
impossible.     As  they   were  about   to  give  him 
the  death-blow,  he  said,  "Though  you  kill  our 
bodies,  you  can  not  kill  our  souls  ;  hereafter  we 
will  live  forever."     And  then  they  hacked  him 
to  pieces.      His  death  made  a  profound   impres- 
sion, not   only  on  the   crowd   of   witnesses,  but 


shen. 


Princely   Martyrs  203 

also  upon  his  fellow-students,  who,  when  the 
story  was  told  them,  said,  ''Think  what  a  glory 
it  was  to  die  like  a  man,  bearing  witness  to  Christ, 
rather  than  to  be  killed  like  a  dog  in  the  street. 
We  would  all  be  glad,  if  our  death  could  be  like 
that  of  Tou  Lien-ming." 

Another  member  of  the  same  class,  named  Wang  Chih- 
Wang,  was  similarly  anointed  for  his  burial  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  during  the  revival.  Professor 
Headland  thus  writes  of  his  martyrdom  :  ''  A 
few  days  before  the  outbreak  at  the  close  of  the 
college  year,  he  went  to  his  home  two  hundred 
miles  distant  from  Peking.  When  the  storm 
approached  he  was  urged  by  all  his  friends  to 
escape,  as  he  was  a  marked  man  ;  but  he  refused 
to  desert  his  family.  He  was  taken  by  the 
Boxers  and  was  offered  the  choice  of  recantation 
or  death.  To  make  it  easier  for  him  to  deny  his 
Master,  it  was  proposed  by  the  village  elders 
that  some  of  his  friends  be  allowed  to  worship 
the  idols  in  his  stead,  in  which  case  they  could 
secure  his  release.  'No,'  said  he,  'I  will  neither 
burn  incense  to  idols  myself,  nor  allow  any  one 
to  do  it  for  me ;  not  to  mention  the  fact  that  it 
would  be  denying  my  Lord,  I  should  never  dare 
to  look  my  teachers  in  the  face  again.'  He  then 
exhorted  his  persecutors  to  personal  repentance 
and  an  acceptance  of  Christianity.  They  ordered 
him  to  cease  his  preaching,  which  he  refused  to 
do,  whereupon  they  cut  off  his  lips  to  stop   his 


204  Princely  Men 

exhortations."  His  tongue  was  next  cut  out, 
and  after  his  limbs  had  been  severed  from  his 
body  it  was  hacked  to  pieces. 
Li  Shu-Chih.  Men  in  every  walk  of  life  were  equally  faith- 
ful. Thus  a  Christian  named  Li,  living  at  Yung- 
p'ing  Fu,  was  caught  by  his  persecutors  and 
tried  in  the  English  Methodist  chapel  in  that 
city.  He  boldly  confessed  Christ,  and  though 
given  many  opportunities  to  recant,  he  refused 
to  do  so.  He  was  beaten  with  five  hundred 
stripes,  —  a  punishment  far  harder  to  bear  than 
many  deaths,  —  when  he  was  thrown  into  the 
city  prison.  After  some  two  months  of  awful 
sufferings,  he  died  in  the  hope  of  the  Gospel. 
The  Youth  A  young  Chinese  of  seventeen  was  a  very 
Wang,  earnest  member  of  the  same  mission.  So 
bravely  did  he  resist  all  temptation  to  recant, 
that  his  captors  chopped  his  body  in  pieces, 
nailed  them  to  the  wall,  and  then  offered  them 
for  sale  at  about  three  hundred  dollars  per  piece. 
A  Druggist  Professor  Headland  tells  the  story  of  a  drug- 
gist, named  Liu,  who,  after  his  conversion,  be- 
came a  most  useful  chapel-keeper.  "He  was 
taken  by  the  Boxers  and  led  to  the  temple  of 
Yii  Huang,  their  headquarters,  where  he  was 
bound  to  a  stake.  All  the  way  to  the  temple 
and  after  he  was  bound,  he  continued  to  exhort 
them,  when,  angered  by  his  exhortations  or 
condemned  by  their  own  consciences,  one  slapped 
him  i.n  the  face.      Still  he  ceased  not,  until  a 


Princely  Martyrs  205 

brute,  exclaiming  *  You  still  preach,  do  you  ? ' 
slit  his  mouth  from  ear  to  ear.  Even  this  did 
not  silence  him  ;  and  they  finally  cut  out  his 
tongue,  smoked  him  with  incense,  and  cut  off 
his  hands  and  feet.  Even  while  he  was  dying, 
we  are  told,  his  face  wore  a  look  of  happiness 
and  peace,  so  much  so  as  to  cause  the  Boxers  to 
wonder  and  remark,  and  their  only  way  of  ac- 
counting for  it  was,  '  He  has  eaten  the  medicine 
of  the  foreigner  until  he  does  not  fear  to  die.' " 

The  triumphant  deaths  of  women  will  be  an  Mrs.  Wu. 
example  to  their  sisters  in  China  for  all  time. 
Mrs.  Wu  was  a  whole-souled  Christian  Bible 
woman  who  was  early  captured.  Taken  to  a 
temple  and  bound  to  a  pillar,  they  beat  her 
across  the  breast,  but  no  cry  was  uttered.  As 
she  refused  to  sacrifice  lighted  incense  to  the 
idols,  a  bunch  of  these  sticks  was  held  to  her 
face  until  the  flesh  was  burned  off.  Then  as 
the  Boxers  were  especially  incensed  against 
those  who,  in  accordance  with  the  beneficent 
teachings  of  Christianity,  had,  like  Mrs.  Wu, 
unbound  their  feet,  they  first  cut  off  her  feet 
and  hands  and  hung  them  to  a  tree.  As  she 
still  continued  to  praise  God,  they  beheaded  her 
and  then  hacked  her  body  to  pieces. 

Meng,    Latinized   with  the   characters  fn-tzu  Mencius's 
—  philosopher  —  into  Mencius,   is  the  Plato  to  Descendant 
Confucius,  who    has   been    compared  with   the 
Greek  Socrates.     A  direct  descendant  of  this 


2o6  Princely    Men 

honored  sage  was  Meng  Ch'ang-ch'un,  the  first 
ordained  native  pastor  of  the  American  Board. 
Just  before  the  final  outburst,  he  was  at  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  mission  at  T'ung  Chow, 
when  news  came  that  the  railroad  had  been 
destroyed  and  communication  with  his  station 
at  Pao-ting  Fu  had  been  cut  off.  It  would  have 
been  easy  for  him  to  remain  and  flee  a  few  days 
later  to  Peking,  thus  preserving  his  life,  as  did 
so  many  other  Christians  in  the  siege  of  the 
legations.  But  he  remembered  Mr.  Pitkin, 
whom  he  had  left  with  the  ladies  of  his  mission, 
and  he  bravely  faced  certain  death,  that  he 
might  be  with  them  to  the  inevitable  end.  He 
accordingly  walked  back  some  four  days'  journey 
through  the  Boxer  hordes.  Arrived  at  the  city, 
he  went  about  the  work  of  the  station,  preach- 
ing as  usual  and  sending  the  church  members 
away  to  places  of  safety.  Meng  himself  would 
not  flee  ;  but  he  and  a  few  of  the  preachers  and 
Bible  women  deliberately  stayed  at '  their  posts, 
saying,  "  Our  missionaries  have  remained  with 
us ;  we  will  stand  by  them,  and  live  or  die  to- 
gether." He  finally  sent  his  fifteen -year  son 
away,  but  only  after  the  boy's  determination  to 
die  with  his  father  had  been  changed  by  the 
consideration  that  if  he  were  killed  there  would 
be  no  one  of  his  family  left  to  preach  and  testify 
for  Jesus.  On  Friday,  June  29,  the  father  was 
seized  by  the  Boxers  and  carried  to  their  altar, 


Pastor  Meng,  A  Martyr  of  Pao  Ting  Fu. 


Princely   Martyrs  207 


where  he  was  beheaded.  Like  a  gross  criminars, 
his  head  was  exposed,  while  the  body  was  buried  i 

in  a  ditch  back  of  the  temple.      In  December,  -j. 

the  body  was  disinterred,  the  bound  hands  re-  ; 

leased,   and    the  dissevered    head    replaced    for  ; 

burial.  i 

"Nine    months   later   to   a  day,"  writes   Dr.  Meng's  \ 

Smith,  "  a  great  memorial  service  for  the  mar-    ""^^^  i 

tyred  missionaries  and  Christians  was   held  at  , 

Pao-ting   Fu,  attended   by  the  chief  officials  of  ." 

the  city  and  witnessed  by  thousands  of   silent  j 

spectators.      In    the   stately  funeral   procession  ! 

were  banners  and  flags,  embroidered  catafalques, 
native  musicians,  a  long  line  of  carts  filled  with  i 

mourning  friends,  and  ahead  of  all,  above  thirty 
memorial  banners,  more  than  half  of  which  were 
to  the  memory  of  this  noble  man.  They  were 
no  empty  show,  but  gave  the  last  true  estimate 
of  the  best  men  of  the  city,  officials  and  mer-  j 

chants,  guilds  and  citizens,  of  the  life  and  char- 
acter that  had  been  lived  in  their  midst." 

The    foreign    martyrs    of    the    Presbyterian  The 

Church  all  met  their  fate  at  Pao-ting  Fu.    The  roll  Presbyter/an      , 

Holocaust. 
includes  the  names  of  Dr.  George  Yardley  Taylor,  \ 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Van  Rensselaer  Hodge,  Rev.  and 

Mrs.    Frank    Edson    Simcox,    and   their   three 

children.     From    the    conflicting  testimony   of 

many  witnesses,  their  associate,  Rev.  J.  Walter 

Lowrie,  sent  home  later  the  brief  story  of  their 

coronation :  "On  Saturday  afternoon,  June  30,  , 


2o8  Princely  Men 

a  company  of  about  twenty  Boxers,  accompanied 
by  a  large  crowd  of  other  city  ruffians,  attacked 
the  west  gate  of  the  city  mission  compound 
and  set  fire  to  it,  following  it  up  by  setting  fire 
to  the  hospital  and  Mr.  Miller's  dwelling.  They 
set  fire  to  the  east  gate  of  the  compound,  and 
after  looting  Mrs.  Lowrie's  house  burnt  it  also. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hodge  and  Dr.  Taylor  *  repaired 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  Simcox,  where  the  little 
babe  in  its  mother's  arms  was  the  helpless  cen- 
ter around  which  all  naturally  gathered.  The 
demon  crowd  were  held  off  by  the  discharging 
of  firearms,  by  which  a  few  of  their  number 
were  slain.  The  foreigners  possessed  only  one 
rifle,  a  fowling-piece,  and  one  or  two  revolvers. 
Stories  differ  as  to  the  details  of  the  very  last 
moment  of  the  attack.  The  Christians  in  the 
compound  were  soon  killed,  none  surviving  to 
tell  the  sad  tale.  The  most  probable  account 
is  that  of  a  coolie  of  Mr.  Simcox,  who  says 
that  he  stood  on  a  grave-mound  some  distance 
away  and  saw  the  house  of  Mr.  Simcox  finally 
enveloped  in  flames,  and  through  the  smoke  and 
flames  in  the  upper  story  the  fond  father  was 
seen  pacing  the  floor,  leading  the  two  boys  by 

*  A  later  story,  and  apparently  the  correct  one,  states  that  Dr. 
Taylor  did  not  join  the  others,  but  from  the  Lowrie  house  showed 
the  Boxers  his  gun  and  told  them  of  the  harm  it  could  do.  Unable 
to  check  them,  and  unwilling  to  shoot,  he  threw  the  weapon  into  the 
fire  and  was  himself  consumed  by  the  flames.  This  is  more  in 
accord  with  the  saintly  physician's  life. 


Princely  Martyrs  209 

the  hand.  Soon  after  they  disappeared  from 
view.  .  .  .  The  dear  ones  passed  up  to  their 
home  on  high  in  the  fire  and  did  not  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Boxers.  This  was  a  merciful 
mitigation  of  their  sufferings  and  our  sorrow, 
for  which  we  thank  the  Heavenly  Father.  Their 
remains  did  not  receive  a  proper  burial,  being 
very  much  charred  and  disfigured  by  the  fire. 
After  much  searching  and  inquiry,  we  have  not 
been  able  to  recover  them.  But  God  will  bring 
them  all  in  glorified  body  at  His  own  great  day." 
The  last  letters  from  these  beleaguered  saints 
show  a  calm  resignation  that  is  truly  remark- 
able. Mrs.  Sim  cox  took  her  two  little  boys 
aside  daily  and  knelt  with  them  in  special  prayer 
to  God,  to  prepare  them  for  the  hour  of  fiery 
trial.  Their  father's  last  sermon  to  the  native 
Christians,  preached  six  days  before  the  end, 
was  from  the  text,  "  We  are  pilgrims  and  stran- 
gers in  the  earth." 

Fuller  particulars  are  obtainable  concerning  Horace  Tracy 
the  group  of  three  missionaries  who  were  slain  P'^^'"- 
the  following  day,  Sunday,  July  i,  at  the  Con- 
gregational compound  in  Pao-ting  Fu's  south 
suburb.  The  son  of  wealthy  parents,  Horace 
Pitkin,  the  only  male  member  of  the  group,  was 
reared  and  educated  under  conditions  which 
would  seem  ill-fitted  to  make  him  a  hero. 
While  a  student  at  Yale  University,  he  heard 
the  message  of   the  Student  Volunteer  Move- 


2IO  Princely   Men 

ment  for  Foreign  Missions,  deeply  pondered 
the  call,  and  enrolled  himself  as  a  volunteer  for 
foreign  fields.  His  life  in  college  was  a  perpet- 
ual evidence  of  the  power  of  a  great  idea ;  and 
soon  after  his  graduation  he  and  two  friends 
became  a  trio  who  did  a  most  important  work 
in  agitating  for  the  foreign  mission  cause,  both 
as  secretaries  of  the  Movement  and  in  the  or- 
ganization of  young  people  of  the  churches. 
When  the  time  came  for  Pitkin  to  go  to  the 
field,  he  and  his  wife  journeyed  thither  via  the 
Levant,  India,  and  South  China,  that  they 
might  personally  investigate  other  mission  lands 
and  methods.  Language  study  had  occupied 
most  of  his  time,  so  that  when  the  Boxer 
troubles  began  he  was  only  fairly  launched 
upon  his  life's  work,  with  promise  of  becoming 
a  strong  practical  and  spiritual  power. 
His  At  this  time  the  only  members  of  his  mission 
Associates.  ^^  Pao-ting  Fu  were  himself  and  the  Misses 
Morrill  and  Gould.  The  latter  was  a  Mt.  Hol- 
yoke  graduate  of  high  standing,  while  Miss  Mor- 
rill had  behind  her  theoretical  and  practical 
training  as  a  teacher.  When  the  troubles  began, 
the  ladies  did  not  think  that  they  would  develop 
into  anything  serious,  and  hence  they  refused  to 
leave  the  field  when  it  would  have  been  possible 
to  do  so.  Their  sense  of  duty  was  very  strong, 
and  their  love  for  the  Chinese  women  and  girls 
held  them  at  their  posts.     Mrs.  Pitkin  and  her 


Princely   Martyrs  211 

little  boy  had  been  obliged  to  return  to  Amer- 
ica that  spring;  and  had  it  not  been  that  the 
ladies  felt  so  strongly  their  duty  to  remain,  her 
husband  would  have  followed  his  own  feelings 
of  prudence  and  would  have  withdrawn  before 
it  had  become  too  late. 

The  story  of  the  massacre  of  their  Presby-  July  1,  1900. 
terian  friends  in  the  north  suburb  came  to  the 
trio  when  their  hearts  were  overborne  with  grief 
for  the  death  the  day  before  of  their  noble 
friend  Meng.  There  evidently  were  only  a  few 
hours  between  them  and  the  arduous  path  of 
martyrdom.  Pitkin  spent  that  last  night  in 
quiet  preparation  for  the  end.  Again  we  must 
rely  upon  the  report  sent  to  Mrs.  Pitkin  by  the 
St.  John  of  North  China,  Rev.  J.  W.  Lowrie  : 
"  That  evening  Mr.  Pitkin  wrote  three  letters, 
one  to  you,  one  to  the  foreign  soldiers  who 
might  arrive,  and  one  to  the  Mission.  These  he 
buried  separately.  The  one  to  you  he  placed 
deep  in  a  pit  in  the  floor  of  one  of  the  outhouses 
in  the  rear,  the  faithful  Lao  Man  remaining 
with  him  and  assisting  him  when  all  others  had 
fled.  They  buried  the  communion  plate  in  the 
same  place,  but  all  were  dug  up  by  the  robber 
crowd,  who  dug  up  every  conceivable  spot  where 
treasures  might  be  hid.  The  other  letters  were 
dug  up  and  lost  also.  .  .  .  Paster  Meng's  sis- 
ter had  come  up  from  the  ladies'  house  to  ask 
what  could  be  done.      He  prayed  with  her  and 


212  Princely  Men 

said,  '  Nothing  can  be  done ;  we  must  prepare 
for  the  worst.'  After  she  had  gone,  he  called 
Lao  Man  —  good  Lao  Man  —  to  him  and  told 
him  there  was  no  hope,  but  that  he  had  a  mes- 
sage to  little  Horace,  through  his  mother,  which 
he  would  now  give  to  Lao  Man  as  his  last  wish 
and  words.  Said  he,  *Tell  Horace's  mother 
to  tell  my  boy  Horace  that  his  father's  last 
wish  is  that  when  he  is  twenty-five  years  of  age 
he  may  come  to  China  as  a  missionary.'  .  .  .  He 
then  gave  Lao  Man  some  money  and  told  him 
to  save  his  life  by  escaping  through  the  night. 
It  was  raining  hard,  and  Lao  Man  then  climbed 
the  wall  and  fled.  What  your  hero  did  that 
night  only  the  Heavenly  Father  knows  ;  but 
probably  he  experienced  a  lesser  Getlisemane, 
where  he,  too,  was  able  to  look  up  and  into  the 
Father's  face  and  say,  *  Not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done.' 
The  "At  dawn  the  next  morning,  the  rain  still 
Conquered  pouring,  the  rabble  throng  attacked  the  com- 
pound at  both  ends.  Miss  Morrill  and  Miss 
Gould  fled  up  to  the  church  building,  and  Mr. 
Pitkin,  revolver  in  hand,  went  out  upon  the 
steps  to  intimidate  the  crowd.  There  he  held 
them  at  bay  for  a  time.  Some  say  that  he  was 
wounded  and  slain  there  ;  but  I  think  a  more 
reliable  account  states  that  he  too  retreated  to 
the  church,  to  be  with  the  ladies,  and  defended 
them  through  the  windows  of  the  church  until 


Princely  Martyrs  213 

his  ammunition  was  exhausted,  when  they 
leaped  out  of  the  northwest  window  into  the 
schoolyard  and  took  refuge  in  a  small  room 
there.  Out  of  this  they  were  soon  taken,  and 
there  he  was  slain,  but  without  prolonged  suffer- 
ing. In  one  moment  he  passed  into  the  presence 
of  the  martyred  Stephen's  Lord.  Only  the 
past  few  days  the  Christians  lifted  his  form  from 
the  pit  where  it  had  been  placed  with  the  bodies, 
of  nine  others  on  that  cruel  day, —  seven  were 
children  of  the  Meng  brothers  and  of  their  sis- 
ter, one  a  Shansi  pupil,  and  the  ninth  Ming's 
sister  herself.  His  hands  were  not  bound  but 
uplifted  as  if  in  prayer,  in  which  position  they 
had  become  rigid.  Reverently  tl>e  form  was 
placed  in  the  coffin  which  the  Christians  had 
neatly  lined,  and  over  it  was  spread  a  red  flan- 
nel covering.  Then  we  sang  *  Precious  name, 
O  how  sweet ! '  and  *  When  He  cometh  to  make 
up  His  jewels/  I  spoke  to  them  from  Jesus' 
words  to  those  on  his  right  hand,  *  Inasmuch  as 
ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,* 
referring  to  his  interest  in  the  native  Christian 
children  and  others.  The  younger  Meng  led  in 
prayer.  There  were  no  dry  eyes.  Even  the 
hardened  old  policeman  wept  ;  but  the  tears  of 
the  Christians  were  not  of  those  who  have  no 
hope.  .  .  . 

"  Miss  Morrill  and  Miss  Gould  were  dragged  Virgin 
a  short  distance,  the  former  by  her  hair,  and  the  ^«''0'^«- 


214  Princely   Men 

latter,  soon  becoming  powerless  to  walk  through 
terror,  was  bound  hand  and  foot  and  borne  on  a 
beam  thrust  between  the  bound  hands  and  the 
body.  Their  clothing  was  not  removed,  as 
some  have  reported.  Miss  Morrill  exhorted 
the  people  as  she  walked,  and  even  gave  a 
piece  of  silver  to  a  poor  person  by  the  wayside. 
They  were  taken  to  the  Boxer  temple  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  city  and  there  were  joined 
later  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bagnall,  Gladys,  and  Mr. 
Cooper  [these  were  of  the  China  Inland  Mis- 
sion], who  had  been  treacherously  arrested  in 
the  flight  to  the  camp  of  Wang  Chan-k'uei,  the 
cruel  colonel  who  has  since  been  beheaded  for 
his  crime.  In  the  afternoon  all  of  them,  with 
four  or  five  Chinese,  were  led  out  of  the  city 
by  a  rope  passed  around  the  uplifted  hands  and 
thence  around  the  neck  of  each  of  the  party. 
Miss  Gould  had  recovered  herself  and  walked 
with  the  others.  Little  Gladys  walked  free  by 
her  mother's  side,  but  was  speared  to  death  first, 
notwithstanding  her  mother's  entreaties  for  her 
life.  They  were  all  slain  without  torture  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  wall,  —  outside  the  city 
and  within  the  moat,  —  and  buried  there,  but  in 
so  shallow  a  grave  that  their  remains  have  been 
frequently  disturbed  and  buried  near  by.  The 
whole  deed  baffles  the  human  heart  to  under- 
stand, but  our  King  can  do  no  wrong.  As  we 
used  to  sing  on  Sunday   summer  evenings  at 


Princely   Martyrs  215 

Pei-ta-ho, — how  he  enjoyed  those  song  parties  ! 
—  *  Sometime,  sometime  we'll  understand.'  It  is 
enough  if  the  servant  be  as  his  master,  and  the 
disciple  as  his  Lord." 

And  what  shall  we  more  say  ?  The  time  All  Martyrs. 
would  fail  us  to  tell  of  the  more  than  130 
Chinese  members  of  the  writer's  own  church  at 
T'ung  Chow  who  gladly  laid  down  their  lives 
for  their  Savior.  How  vividly  there  rises  before 
him  the  picture  of  Deacon  Li,  an  official  who 
reminded  one  of  the  saints  of  Caesar's  house- 
hold, and  who  so  holily  lived  in  the  midst  of 
corrupt  fellow-officials,  that  in  the  final  hour 
they  did  their  utmost  to  protect  him  from 
Boxer  violence  !  After  his  execution  and  burial 
the  story  was  circulated  that  so  zealous  a  Chris- 
tian would  rise  shortly  from  the  dead,  to  pre- 
vent which  his  body  was  exhumed  and  burned 
to  ashes.  And  then  his  dear  friend,  Helper  Li, 
in  charge  of  the  church  in  a  town  called  Eternal 
Joy  —  what  a  story  of  lifelong  self-sacrifice  and 
earnest  devotion  to  his  Master  the  name  recalls  ! 
Standing  by  his  little  flock  when  others  had 
fled  to  places  of  safety,  he  at  last  was  leading 
them  to  a  place  of  refuge,  when  the  party  was 
overtaken  and  were  brutally  murdered.  No 
wonder  that  one  who  had  been  a  blessing  to 
thousands  who  had  never  had  the  courage  to 
confess  Christ  should  have  been  treated  with 
special  deference  after  his  death.      He  was  ac- 


2i6  Princely  Men 

cordingly  buried  much  deeper  than  the  rest,  so 
that  months  later,  when  the  martyrs  were  dis- 
interred for  Christian  burial,  his  body  was  in 
a  fair  state  of  preservation.  And  when  the 
long  cortege  of  T'ung  Chow  martyrs  wended 
its  way  to  their  last  resting-place,  Li  Te-kuei's 
led  the  van,  as  it  did  in  the  honorary  tablets  of 
the  occasion.  As  for  others  of  the  glorious 
company  of  witnesses,  the  reader  must  turn 
for  their  story  to  such  proofs  of  the  virility  of 
the  Christian  religion  as  are  found  in  Broomhall's 
"  Martyred  Missionaries  of  the  China  Inland  Mis- 
sion,'* Professor  Headland's  "Chinese  Heroes," 
and  Miss  Miner's  "Two  Heroes  of  Cathay" 
and  "China's  Book  of  Martyrs." 
The  Harvest  If  the  oft-quoted  saying  of  the  early  Church 
is  true,  where  is  the  harvest  from  China's  bap- 
tism in  Christian  blood .?  Surely  much  blood- 
steeped  seed  was  freely  sown ;  what  are  the 
results  }  The  difficulties  of  political  re-adjust- 
ment are  well  known,  and  one  of  the  most 
unfortunate  results  of  the  Uprising  was  the  man- 
ifest animus  of  most  of  the  so-called  Christian 
powers.  Their  soldiers  had  proven  as  lustful 
and  almost  as  cruel  as  China's  heathen  warriors, 
and  this  was  a  damning  blot  on  the  Christian 
escutcheon.  The  negotiations  which  followed 
were  further  exhibitions  of  Occidental  greed,  out 
of  which  Japan,  England,  and  the  United  States 
came  with  the  best  record,  and  yet  not  with  a 


Princely  Martyrs  a  17 

wholly  unsullied  reputation.  Had  the  collection 
of  indemnities  been  made  by  an  uncorrupt  body 
of  Chinese  officials,  little  harm  would  have  been 
done  ;  but  with  the  prevalent  venality,  the  ne- 
cessarily heavy  burden  was  vastly  increased,  and 
to  Christianity  was  charged  the  responsibility  for 
such  evils.  With  these  facts  to  contend  against, 
it  was  to  be  expected  that  missions  would  not 
prosper,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that 
the  awful  consequences  of  associating  with  for- 
eigners and  accepting  -their  religion  had  been  so 
dire.  Yet  with  this  incubus,  so  true  is  the  old 
maxim  that  even  in  the  proyinces  most  affected 
by  the  outbreak  there  has  never  been  such  wil- 
lingness to  hear  the  Gospel,  nor  so  prevalent 
a  desire  to  learn  of  the  missionaries.  Not  only 
are  accessions  to  the  churches  unexpectedly 
great,  but  the  number  of  inquirers  and  hearers 
is  unprecedented.  From  an  official  of  one  of  the 
Boards  most  affected  the  writer  has  just  received 
this  personal  word  :  "  In  North  China,  where 
three  years  ago  all  was  ruin,  hundreds  of  new 
preaching-places  have  been  opened,  and  larger 
accessions  than  ever  are  being  made  this  year 
to  the  churches."  "The  blood  of  the  martyrs 
IS  the  seed  of  the  Church"  still. 

Such  fruitage  as  this  is  a  sufficient    answer  The  Real 
to  the  Judas-like  question,    "To  what  purpose  ^^cfo/y. 
is  this  waste  .?  "     But  there  is  a  better  answer: 
these  men  and  women  of  our  race  and  that   far 


21 8  Princely   Men 

larger  company  of  unknown  martyrs  were  vic- 
tors in  a  very  real  warfare.  There  was,  first  of 
all,  victory  over  the  lower  self.  As  one  of  the 
native  survivors  of  the  Shansi  massacre,  the 
only  lineal  descendant  of  China's  Throneless 
King  to  enlist  under  the  banner  of  Jesus,  said 
to  the  students  at  the  Lakeside  Student  Con- 
ference :  "  There  is  one  great  enemy  to  service 
for  others  and  to  the  evangelization  of  the  world. 
Do  you  ask  who  that  enemy  is  ?  Look  in  the 
mirror  ;  your  own  great  enemy,  the  greatest 
enemy  of  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  world,  is 
yourself  —  your  selfish  self."  This  word  of  our 
modern  Confucius  is  the  truth  which  he  has 
learned  of  Christ  ;  and  the  martyrs  had  over- 
come to  the  uttermost  that  great  enemy  to 
China's  evangelization.  On  the  day  when  they 
laid  down  their  lives,  they  put  out  of  the  fight 
another  great  foe  of  the  missionary  enterprise, — 
the  assertion  that  all  religions  are  practically 
alike,  that  we  are  not  called  upon  to  carry 
to  China  Christianity  when  she  already  has  so 
excellent  an  ethical  system,  better  adapted  to  her 
people,  perhaps,  than  our  own  religion.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  native  Christians  voluntarily  fac- 
ing torture,  outrage,  death  in  a  thousand  horrid 
forms,  in  most  cases  because  after  more  than 
two  thousand  years  of  faithful  espousal  of  the 
country's  native  religion  it  had  been  found  want- 
ing, while  in  the  religion  and  life  of  the   hated 


Princely   Martyrs  219 

Nazarene  they  had  discovered  the  salvation  and 
light  and  joy  of  life,- — these  living  and  dying 
witnesses  to  the  power  of  Jesus'  love  have 
won  the  case  for  all  time  to  come.  Confucian- 
ists  had  done  their  worst,  from  the  Emperor 
upon  the  throne  to  the  servant  that  sat  behind 
the  mill  ;  true  Christians —  learned  missionaries 
and  humble  converts  alike  —  had  done  their 
best  to  glorify  God  by  triumphant  deaths.  And 
this  victory  also  is  prophetic  of  the  final  issue, 
so  graphically  set  forth  in  Carlyle's  quaint  trans- 
lation of  Luther's  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Reforma- 
tion,—  a  hymn  whose  strains  sounded  out  over 
the  Pao-ting  Fu  plain  at  the  time  of  the  martyrs' 
burial. 

"  God's  word,  for  all  their  craft  and  force, 
One  moment  shall  not  linger, 
But  spite  of  hell  shall  have  its  course; 
'Tis  written  by  His  finger. 
And  though  they  take  our  life, 
Goods,  honor,  children,  wife, 
Yet  is  their  profit  small ; 
These  things  shall  vanish  all ; 
The  city  of  God  remaineth." 

The  voice  of  our  brethren's  blood  crieth  unto  The 
us  from  the  ground.  Morrison  was  a  prisoner  ^^^'^^"9^^ 
with  a  chain  reaching  from  Canton  to  Macao ; 
yet  he  Hved  his  prison  life  heroically,  and  he  has 
proved  to  us  what  a  consecrated  man  can  do 
with  a  life  hidden  with  Christ  in  God.  Dr. 
Mackenzie  was  not  a  brilliant  man,  but  he  so 


220  Princely  Men 

related  himself  to  God  through  the  communion 
of  prayer  and  the  Word,  that  God  made  him  the 
saver  of  life  unto  life  to  officials  and  common 
people  alike.  Gilmour  lived  his  lonely  years 
amid  Mongol  tents  and  saw  apparent  defeat  so 
far  as  statistics  were  concerned ;  but  he  served 
his  generation  according  to  the  will  of  God  and 
fell  asleep,  while  others  awoke  to  build  on  his 
foundation,  or  to  reap  where  he  had  sown. 
Nevius  lived  a  quiet  life  among  his  books  and 
fruits  and  flowers ;  he  went  in  and  out  among 
groups  of  simple-minded  peasants,  and  fulfilled 
the  duty  of  the  parson  according  to  Chaucer  : 

"But  Cristes  lore  and  his  apostles  twelve, 
He  taughte,  but  first  he  folwede  it  himselve." 

The  eagle-eyed  scientist,  educator,  and  Christian, 
Formosa's  Mackay,  faced  farmer,  tradesman, 
and  head-hunter  with  patience  and  fortitude ;  and 
many  souls  were  his  hire.  And  the  noble  com- 
pany of  martyrs  watered  China's  soil  with  their 
life's  blood.  Yet  "these  all,  having  had  wit- 
ness borne  to  them  through  their  faith,  re- 
ceived not  the  promise,  God  having  provided 
some  better  thing  concerning  us,  that  apart 
from  us  they  should  not  be  made  perfect." 
Every  Christian  man  and  woman  may  well  ask 
the  momentous  question,  "To  what  purpose  is 
this  waste  ?"  The  gates  are  wide  open ;  the 
pioneering  stage  is  past;  "the  harvest  truly  is 


Princely   Martyrs  221 

plenteous ;  but  the  laborers  are  few,"  and  the 
ascended  Savior  is  still  ntoved  with  compassion 
because  the  multitudes  are  distressed  and  scat- 
tered, as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd ;  yet  we 
wait  passively  for  some  one  else  to  enter  into 
this  rich  heritage,  instead  of  joyfully  looking 
into  the  face  of  our  Redeemer  with  the  glad 
words  of  commitment  on  our  lips,  "  Here  am  I, 
send  me." 


APPENDIX   A. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

The  volumes  which  are  recommended  for  use  in  comiec- 
tion  with  this  text -book  should  be  owned  by  the  class  so  far 
as  this  is  possible.  When  it  is  impracticable,  they  should  be 
secured  from  the  public  library,  from  the  homes  of  the  class 
members,  or  from  the  library  of  the  pastor  or  some  friend  of 
missions.  The  brevity  of  the  text-book  makes  it  essential 
that  additional  readings  be  assigned  in  connection  with  each 
study.  The  order  of  the  works  given  is  that  of  their  prac- 
tical value  or  accessibility,  placing  the  most  desirable  first. 
Most  of  the  volumes  mentioned  can  be  obtained  from  the 
publishers  of  this  br '^k. 

Robert  Morrison. 

Townsend,  W.  J.     Robert  Morrison,  the  Pioneer  of  Chinese 

Missions.     (75  cents.) 
Morrison^  Mrs.  R.     Memoirs  of  the  Life   and    Labours  of 

Robert  Morrison.     2  vols. 
Maccracken  and  Piper.     Lives  of  the  Leaders  of  Our  Church 

Universal,  pages  819-837. 
Milne^  W.     Retrospect  of  the  First  Ten  Years  of  the  China 

Mission. 

John  Kenneth  Mackenzie, 

Bryson,  M.  I.     John  Kenneth  Mackenzie,  Medical  Mission- 
ary to  China.     (^1.50.) 


224  Princely  Men 

Beach^  H.  P.      Knights  of  ^the  Labarum,  Chapters  V.,   VI. 

(Paper,  25  cents.) 
Creegan  and  Goodnow.     Great  Missionaries  of  the  Church. 

James  Gilmour. 

Lovett,  R.     James  Gilmour  of  Mongolia.     {^1.75.) 
Gilmour,/.     Among  the  Mongols.     ($1.25.) 
Bryson,  M.  /.     The  Story  of  James  Gilmour,  and  the  Mon- 
gol Mission.     (50  cents.) 
Lovetty  R.     James  Gilmour  and  His  Boys.     (^1.25.) 
Gilmour,/.     More  about  the  Mongols,     (I2.00.) 
Thompson,  A.  C,  and  others.     Modern  Apostles  of  Mission- 
ary Byways,  Chapter  IV.     (40  cents.) 

John  Livingston  Nevius. 

Nevitis,  H.  S.    C.     The   Life   of  John   Livingston   Nevius. 

(^2.00.) 
JVevius,  H.  S.  Co     Our  Life  in  China. 
Nevius,  /   L.     Methods   of   Mission   Work  (same   as   The 

Planting  and  Development  of  Missionary  Churches).   (25 

cents  ;  15  cents.) 
Nevius,  /  Z.     China  and  the   Chinese,  especially  Chapters 

XXI.-XXVIIL     (75  cents.) 
Nevius,  /.  L.     San-poh. 

George  Leslie  Mackay. 

Mackay,  G.  L.     From  Far  Formosa.     (^1.25.) 

McDowell,  W.  F.,  and  others.     Effective  Workers  in  Needy 

Fields,  pages  35-81. 
Piersoji,  A.  T.     Miracles  of  Missions,  Second  Series,  pages 

17-42.     (^i.oo;  paper,  35  cents.) 
/ohnston,/.    China  and  Formosa,  Chapters  IX.,  XVI.,  XVII. 

(^i-75-) 
Campbell,  W.     Missionary  Success  in  Formosa. 

Princely  Martyrs. 

Ketler,  I.  C.     The  Tragedy  of  Paotingfu.     (^2.00.) 
Miner,  L.     China's  Book  of  Martyrs. 


Appendix  225 

Headland,  I.  7.     Chinese  Heroes. 

Broomhall^  M.    Martyred    Missionaries  of  the  China  Inland 

Mission.     (^$1.50.) 
Smithy   A.   H.      China    in    Convulsion,    especially  Chapters 

XXXII.-XXXVI.     (^5.00.) 
Miner^  L.     Two  Heroes  of  Cathay. 


APPENDIX    B. 


ORGANIZATION    AND    LEADERSHIP. 

Hints  as  to  Organizing  the  Class, 

Presenting  One  or  more  persons  interested  in  mission  study  may 
the  Plan,  bring  the  matter  before  the  missionary  committee  of  the 
organization  which  would  naturally  care  for  the  class.  If  no 
such  committee  exists,  the  pastor  or  prominent  members  of 
the  organization  may  be  consulted.  The  class  having  been 
approved  of,  the  plan  decided  upon  may  be  brought  before 
the  young  people's  society  or  other  organization  caring  for 
it.  A  special  meeting  need  not  be  called,  unless  experienced 
persons  can  assist  in  the  presentation.  Let  the  plans  be 
fully  stated,  and  if  the  work  is  just  being  initiated,  accom- 
pany the  statement  by  some  reasons  for  undertaking  the 
study.  When  a  new  class  is  being  enrolled  after  a  previous 
course  has  been  completed,  a  series  of  testimonies  from 
those  who  have  been  in  that  class  constitutes  a  strong  argu- 
ment for  others'  joining,  and  so  will  a  bright  resume  of  the 
book  just  completed. 
Enrolling.  Having  made  the  plan  clear  and  shown  the  value  of  the 
work,  let  the  audience  know  just  what  is  expected  of  class 
members.  It  is  far  better  to  enlist  a  small  number  of  per- 
sons who  are  in  earnest  than  a  larger  number,  many  of  whom 
will  take  no  interest  in  the  class  after  the  first  two  or  three 
lessons.  Quality  rather  than  quantity  should  be  sought. 
Names  should  then  be  taken,  —  with  street  addresses  in 
cities.  At  least  one  copy  of  the  text-book  to  be  used  should 
be  at  hand  that  it  may  be  examined,  and  every  one  enrolling 
should  order  and  pay  in  advance  for  a  copy,  though   two  or 


Appendix  227 

more  persons  in  the  same  family  can  use  a  single  text-book. 
It  may  be  well  to  take  a  vote  of  those  enrolled  as  to  the  most 
convenient  day  and  hour  of  meeting,  if  there  is  any  alter- 
native date. 

If  the  number  enrolled  is  unexpectedly  large,  —  more  than  Study 
,  twenty-five,— and  if  the  variations  in  age  and  intellectual  Groups. 
ability  are  quite  marked,  it  may  be  well  to  discuss  the  ques- 
tion of  forming  two  or  more  study  groups.  This  will  secure 
better  grading,  will  accommodate  some  of  the  members  in 
the  time  for  holding  the  sessions,  and  above  all  will  make 
each  individual  feel  a  greater  responsibility  for  preparation 
than  when  large  numbers  weaken  the  sense  of  personal 
responsibility.  In  some  cases  it  has  the  further  advantage 
of  choice  of  text -book,  as  a  number  are  now  available,  and 
individual  preferences  can  thus  be  satisfied. 

The  best  time  and  place  for  meeting  should  be  carefully  Time  and 
considered.  Consult  local  and  church  conditions  and  accom-  Place. 
modate  the  greatest  number.  Do  not  hold  a  small  class  in  a 
large  or  uninviting  room  in  the  church.  A  private  home 
centrally  located  is  often  the  best  place  for  meeting,  especially 
if  it  is  understood  that  the  hosts  are  not  to  furnish  even  light 
refreshments  at  ordinary  sessions  of  the  class. 


Hints  as  to  Leadership. 

The  leader  should  have  read  far  more  widely  than  the  class.  Leader's 
using  some  of  the  material  suggested  in  the  Bibliography  of  Preparation. 
Appendix  A.     He  should  decide  upon  the  points  that  need  ' 

most  to  be  emphasized  in  his  particular  class ;  and,  in  view  of 
the  material  available,  he  should  plan  for  making  special 
features  of  three  or  four  facts  or  truths.  He  should  also 
make  out  a  question  plan,  with  illustrative  material  introduced 
at  its  proper  place,  rather  than  have  it  massed  at  the  end  or  ' 

elsewhere.     Any  special    papers,   reports,  or   readings,  must  | 

also  be  planned  and  assigned  at  least  two  weeks  in  advance,  \ 

if  their  preparation  is  hkely  to  require  much  time.    Be  sure  to  ^ 

indicate  by  chapter,  article  title,  pages,  or  paragraphs,  the  ma- 
terial to  be  used  in  preparing  these.      If  the  persons  responsi-  , 
ble  for  these  special  parts  are  inexperienced,  it  may  be  wise  to  ■ 


22  8  Princely   Men 

indicate   briefly    the   way    in  which   preparation   should   be 
made. 

Promptness.  In  announcing  the  first  session,  emphasize  the  importance 
of  beginning  and  closing  on  time,  and  then  be  sure,  especially 
at  the  first  two  or  three  sessions,  to  open  and  close  on  the 
minute.  Another  aspect  of  promptness  should  be  aimed  at. 
Try  to  secure  prompt  answers  to  questions,  and  be  as  prompt 
in  proceeding  to  the  next  question  or  feature.  The  class  should 
always  be  kept  thoroughly  awake  and  interested. 
Devotional.  No  study  class  should  be  without  the  devotional  element. 
Prayer  should  be  always  a  part  of  the  program,  though  not  ne- 
cessarily coming  first.  Let  it  be  spontaneous  and  unexpected, 
if  the  nature  of  the  class  permits.  The  devotional  spirit 
should  be  cultivated  apart  from  the  singing  and  prayer  and 
Bible-reading  of  the  hour,  with  the  caution  that  the  sessions 
should  be  entirely  free  and  without  any  suggestion  of  the 
funereal. 

Informality.  Aim  to  keep  the  class  session  as  informal  as  possible. 
Arrange  the  seats  about  a  table  in  a  semicircle,  or  in  any  other 
way  that  is  most  horneUke.  Do  not  follow  a  set  order  in  ques- 
tioning; have  the  class  rise  to  look  at  pictures  on  a  table  near; 
do  a  thousand  things  that  will  suggest  themselves  to  make  the 
hour  perfectly  natural,  and  as  far  removed  as  possible  from 
the  formality  of  the  schoolroom  or  Sunday-school  class. 
Outlines.  The  leader  will  find  it  a  great  help  to  make  out,  for  use  at 
each  session,  a  teaching  outline,  a  sample  of  which  is  found  in 
Appendix  C,  under  Chapter  I.  It  should  include  an  orderly 
presentation  of  the  main  heads  and  sub-heads  to  be  used  in 
the  class,  and  should  not  only  draw  upon  information  in  the 
text-book,  but  also  upon  material  in  auxiliary  books  used  for 
papers,  reports,  etc.  Let  this  outline  be  written  upon  a  black- 
board or  whiteboard,  and  be  constantly  referred  to  during  the 
class  hour. 

Questioning.  The  amount  of  quizzing  done  will  depend  upon  the  age  of 
the  members  and  the  extent  of  their  preparation.  In  general, 
avoid  lecturing  as  much  as  possible,  and  question  the  class 
enough  at  every  session  to  insure  careful  preparation  of  the 
lesson  and  to  make  the  facts  remembered.  Questions 
answered  by  *'  Yes  "  or  *'  No,"  and  those  whose  answers  are 


Appendix  229 


self-evident,  are  to  be  sparingly  used,  if  at  all.     Be  sure  to  j 

include  some  questions  that  will  require  thought,  comparison,  ■  ! 

etc.     Do  not  forget  that  much  may  be  gained  by  encouraging  ; 

the  members  to  ask  questions  of  the  leader.    As  before  sug-  I 

gested,  a  question  plan,  carefully  written  out  in  advance,  is  ', 
often  a  help  to  the  leader. 

It  is  very  essential  that  the  studies  should  be  illustrated,  either  Illustrating.        \ 

by  pictures  in  books,  photographs,  stereoscopic  views,  curios,  ! 

and  other  subjects,  or  by  selections  from  books  or  periodicals.  j 

This  latter  source  of  illustration  will  be  most  easily  used,  and  j 

it  should  be  freely  employed  at  each  session.     These  illustra-  i 
tions  of  the  text -book  will  need  to  be  assigned  to  persons  in 

advance,  and  they  should  be  introduced  at  just  the  right  point.  j 

Be  sure  that  the  persons  preparing  these  parts  confine  them-  j 

selves  to  the  time  that  you  assign  to  them.  ; 

The  leader  should  aim  to  make  three  or  four  points  stand  Emphasis.  \ 

out  with  special  clearness  at  each  session.         It  may  be  some  i 

characteristic  of  the  missionary,  some  feature  of  his   work,  j 

some  phase  of  the  native  life  or  belief,  some  striking  lesson  \ 

taught  by  the  character  studied ;  but  whatever  the  leader  de-  1 

cides  upon,  let  those  features  be  made  the  leading  ones  of  the  | 

hour.  I 

It  is  desirable,  for  the  good  of  those  assisting,  as  w^ell  as  a  Assistants.  ] 

reUef  for  the  leader,  to  call  to  one's  aid  as  many  members  of  | 
the  class  as  possible,  though  not  more  than  one  or  two  at  a 

given  session.     Maps  are  to  be  prepared,  diagrams  or  charts  ; 

made,  books  secured  and  examined  for  material  to  be  used,  I 

etc.,  and  those  who  assist  the  leader  in  this  work  are  thereby  j 
made  interested  members  of  the  firm,  so  to  speak,  and  better 

still,  they  are  prepared  for  work  as  leaders  in  the  future.  i 

The  leader    should    carefully    examine    the    material    in  Appendix  C.        \ 

Appendix  C,  and  urge  the  members  to  use  the  questions  there  j 

found  as  a  test  of  knowledge  gained.     These  may  also  be  used  j 

in  the  class,  if  desired ;  though  usually  the  leader  can  better  | 

prepare  questions  himself,  knowing  as  he  does  the  peculiarities  i 

and  abilities  of  his  class.      He  will  note  that  topics  for  special  ] 

discussion    and   suggestions   as   to    illustration    are    entered  j 

among   the   questions.      The  class  members  will  not  regard  j 

these  in  preparing  the  lesson.     They  are  inserted  in  the  places  j 


230  Princely  Men 

found,  in  order  to  indicate  the  point  at  which  they  would 
better  be  introduced.  The  class  should  be  told  that  para- 
graphs enclosed  within  parenthetical  marks  are  not  to  be  used 
by  them  in  preparation. 

No  leader  should  regard  these  questions  and  suggestions  of 
topics  for  illustration^  discussion,  etc.,  as  anything  more  than 
hints,  to  be  freely  departed  from  if  thought  desirable. 


APPENDIX   C. 


QUESTIONS    AND    HINTS    ON    THE 
CHAPTERS. 

Class  members  should  use  these  questions  to  test  their 
knowledge  of  the  lesson  studied.  They  bring  before  the 
user  the  main  topics  of  each  chapter  in  consecutive  order. 
Interspersed  among  the  questions  are  hints  intended  for  the 
leader,  rather  than  for  the  class  as  a  whole.  They  are  en- 
closed within  parenthetical  marks  and  may  be  passed  over  by 
the  members.  A  few  of  the  questions  are  prefixed  by  an 
asterisk  (*) ;  as  they  require  more  thought  than  some  others 
they  may  also  be  omitted  in  class  preparation,  if  the  leadei 
thinks  it  desirable. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Robert  Morrison, 

Teaching  Outlined  for  Leaders.* 

I.   Christianity's  pioneers  in  China. 

1.  Nestorians:  tablet,  630-781,  A.D. 

2.  First  Catholic  entrance:  John  of  Monte  Corvino, 

Peking,  1293. 

3.  Second  Catholic  entrance:  Ricci,  Canton,  1581. 

1  This  teaching  outline  is  only  suggestive,  intended  as  an  illustration  of 
what  most  teachers  will  find  it  wise  to  follow  in  all  the  studies..  The  out- 
line should  cover  only  the  main  heads  that  the  leader  proposes  to  bring 
before  the  class,  including  not  only  points  in  the  text-book,  but  material 
from  outside  Hterature  consulted  in  preparing  the  lesson.  This  outline 
should  be  placed  on  a  board,  and  the  class  should  be  frequently  referred  to 
it   that  its  facts  may  be  often  brought  before  the  eye.     If  abundant  material 


232  Princely  Men 


II.   The  pioneer  in  the  making. 

1.  Persons  affecting  his  youth. 

(a)  Parents,  (d)  Stevenson,  (c)  An  apprentice 
lad. 

2.  The  value  of  daily  toil  as  a  preparative. 

3.  Educational  factors  in  Morrison's  making. 

(a)  His  uncle ;  Morrison  "  an  illustrous  dunce." 
(d)  Laidler:  Latin,  (c)  Hoxton  Academy: 
theology.  {d)  Gosport :  special  missionary 
work.  (e)  London:  astronomy,  medicine, 
Chinese. 

4.  Spiritual  preparation. 

(a)  Godly  home.  (3)  Church  work,  (c)  Books. 
{d)  Bible  study,  (e)  Prayer  meetings,  private 
devotions. 

5.  Testing  of  the  pioneer, 

(a)  Study  and  work.  (3)  Father's  needs  and 
request,  {c)  His  fiancee,  {d)  Chinese  tutor 
and  study. 

III.  Obstacles  confronting  the  pioneer  in  China. 

1.  Well-founded  prejudice  against  foreigners. 

2.  Territorial  limitations. 

3.  Espionage  of  Chinese. 

4.  Inability  to  freely  study  language. 

5.  Laws  against  Christianity  and  public  preaching. 

6.  Hostility  of  other  foreigners. 

7.  Financial  limitations  at  first. 

IV.  The  pioneer  at  work. 

1.  Studying  the  language. 

2.  Collecting  literary  apparatus. 

3.  Secular  work  for  the  East  India  Company. 

4.  Dictionary-making. 

5.  Bible-translation  and  religious  literature. 

6.  Religious  teaching. 

7.  Work  for  Occidentals  in  China. 

is  available  and  the  class  is  givfn  to  discussion,  this  outline  will  be  found 
too  long  for  a  single  hour.  The  teacher  will  find  it  convenient  to  mark 
some  of  the  items  of  the  outlines  that  can  best  be  omitted,  if  time  does  not 
permit  of  taking  up  all  of  them. 


Appendix  233 

8.  Work  for  Chinese  and  Malays  outside  China, 

9.  Unifying  the  missionary  forces. 

10.    Work  for  interior  China,  Korea,  and  Japan. 
V.   The  pioneer's  influence  in  the  Occident. 

1.  In  America. 

2.  In  Great  Britain. 

3.  On  the  Continent. 

4.  Upon  the  Christian  Church. 

VI.    Morrison's  life  an  illustration  of  Providence  in  mis- 
sions (a  special  paper). 

Questions  and  Hints. 

1.  Name  some  of  the  events  and  persons  connected  v^^ith 

Northumberland. 

2.  What  factors  entered  into  Morrison's  spiritual  prepara- 

tion ? 

3.  In  what  ways  was  Latin  helpful  to  him  ? 

4.  State  the   considerations   which   led   him  to  become  a 

missionary. 
(Discuss  Morrison's  attitude  toward  his  father's  request 

to  remain  at  home  instead  of  going  as  a  missionary.) 
(HJve  some  one  read  the  paragraph  beginning  on  line  6 

of  "page  31  in  Townsend's  •'  Robert  Morrison.") 

5.  *  Give  further  reasons  why  the  East  India  Company  de- 

clined to  encourage  missionary  work. 

6.  What  facts  mark  Morrison's  visit  to  America  ? 

7.  Give  an  account  of  the  situation  which  confronted  Mor- 

rison on  his  arrival  in  Canton. 

8.  How  did  he  meet  these  obstacles  ? 

9.  Describe  Canton  as  it  appeared  in  that  day.     (A  sketch 

map  of  the  city  may  be  placed  on  the  board,  using  for 
it  the  map  found  under  the  article  "Canton"  in  the 
"  Encyclopedia  Britannica,"  Ninth  Edition.) 

10.  Give  an  account  of  the  "  Factories." 

11.  Morrison's  mode  of  Uving  during  his  first  months. 

12.  What  was  his  program  as  laid  down  by  the  Society  > 

13.  Tell  something  about  his  first  two  teachers. 

(Have  a  five-minute  paper  prepared  on  the  Chinese  char- 
acters, using  the  material  found  in  the  "  Encyclopedia 


234  Princely  Men 

Britannica,"  Ninth  Edition,  article  "  China,"  the  section 
on  language). 

14.  "What  anxieties  were  felt  by  him  during  the  early  months 

in  China? 

15.  Describe  the  religious  work  which  was  done. 

16.  Who  was  the  first  Protestant  convert?     Give  an  account 

of  him  and  the  date  of  his  conversion. 

17.  *  What  idea  of  the  character  of  Morrison's  instructions  do 


you  derive  from  page  28  of  the  text -boo! 


18.  Give  an  account  of  his  acquaintance  with  Miss  Morton 

and  of  their  marriage. 

19.  *  What  were  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  Morri- 

son's connection  with  the  East  India  Company  ? 

20.  The  date  of  the  publication  of  his  dictionary  and  some 

idea  of  its  character, 
ii^  21.     What  is  said  of  Chinese  education  under  the  character 
"Heo"? 

22.  Who  translated  the  Bible  into  Chinese?     Which  of  the 

versions  was  the  earlier  ?     Which  the  better  ? 

23.  Mention  other  literary  works  of  Morrison. 

24.  Name  Morrison's  only  colleague,  and  give  some  account 

of  his  early  life. 
(Call  for  a  five-minute  report  on  the  Anglo-Chinese  Col- 
lege, using  Chapter  VI.  of   Townsend's  life  of  Mor- 
rison, or  the  fuller  life  by  his  wife.) 

25.  Name  some  of  the  other  ways  in  which  Morrison  labored 

for  the  cause  in  China  and  southeastern  Asia. 

26.  What  did  he  do  for  medical  missions? 

27.  His  only  extended  journey  in  China. 

28.  How  did  his  work  benefit  other  parts  of  eastern  Asia? 

29.  Mention  the  leading  events  in  his  only  furlough. 

30.  Give  the  story  of  his  last  illness  and  death. 

31.  What  does  Dr.  Williams  say  of  his  life  and  work  ? 

32.  *  What  quahties  for  success  as  a  pioneer  did  Morrison 

possess  ? 

33.  Name  the  three  or  four  points  in  the  chapter  which  have 

most  strongly  impressed  you. 
(Present  a  brief  resume  of  those  facts  in  Morrison's  life 
which  clearly  show  the  hand  of  God.) 


Appendix  235 


CHAPTER   II. 
John  Kenneth  Mackenzie. 

1.  Where  was   Mackenzie   bom,   and  where   brought  up? 

Name  some  events  connected  with  Bristol. 

2.  What  did  heredity  do  for  the  future  missionary  ? 

3.  The  date  and  cause  of  his  conversion  ? 

4  *  In  what  respects  is  the  Christian  Association  an  excellent 
training-school  for  any  missionary  ? 

5.  In  what  ways  did  Mackenzie  fit  himself  for  future  spirit- 

ual work  ? 

6.  What  led  him  to  decide  for  the  foreign  missionary  field  ? 

7.  What  striking  event  illustrates  his  estimate  of  the  power 

of  prayer  ? 

8.  Where  did  he  study  medicine,  and  what  degrees  did  he 

obtain  ? 

9.  The  spiritual  impulses  of  the  last  days  in  England. 

10.  Who   had  pioneered  in  China  as  medical  men  before 

Mackenzie  ? 

11.  What  does  Dr.  Mackenzie  say  of  Chinese  practitioners? 

12.  Describe  the  professional  visit  of  a  Chinese  physician. 

13.  Tell  of  some  of  the  prevalent  mtdical  superstitions. 
(Introduce  a  paper  on  Chinese  medicine,  giving  additional 

facts  not  found  in  the  book,  and  mentioning  some  of 
the  good  points  in  their  work.  Wilhams's  "Middle 
Kingdom"  and  Lowe's  "  Medical  Missions  "  will  furnish 
material.) 

14.  Give  the  name  of  Mackenzie's  first  station  and  his  use  of 

the  first  Sunday  there. 

15.  Whom  and  what  did  the  doctor  make  it  his  business  to 

study  ? 

16.  Chapel  preaching  as  done  by  Griffith  John. 

17.  Describe  the  adventure  in  the  Hiau-kan  district. 

18.  How  was  he  spiritually  prepared  for  his  Tientsin  work  at 

Hankow  ? 

19.  Mackenzie's  engagement  and  marriage. 

20.  Why  was  he  transferred,  and  to  what  place  ="     Describe 

it  briefly. 


2^6  Princely  Men 

21.    Give  an  account  of  the  causes  leading  to  the  Viceroy's 

indorsement  of  medical  missions. 
22.*  Why  was  this  indorsement   an  important    factor  in   the 

history  of  medical  missions  in  China  ? 

23.  Describe    the    Viceroy's    hospital.      (Ask    some   one   in 

advance  to  be  prepared  to  place  on  the  board  a  plan  of 
it,  making  the  sketch  from  the  information  on  pages  64 
and  65  of  the  text-book.) 

24.  How  did  the  doctor  spend  his   day  and  how  his  week  ? 

(This  time-table  may  be  made  more  impressive  if  written 
out  on  the  board  by  hours  and  days,  each  item  being 
on  a  line  by  itself  in  tabular  form.) 

25.  What  are  the  main  points  of  Mackenzie's  pen-picture  of 

his  hospital  work,  both  on  its  professional  and  its  spirit- 
ual side  ? 

26.  His  plans  for  preparing  his  assistants  for  spiritual  work. 

27.  Tell  of  the  Medical  School  and  its  graduates. 

28.  Family  trials  and  their  influence  upon  him. 

29.  What  friends  were  most  helpful  to  him,  and  how  ? 

30.  His  favorite  books. 

(Let  pages  361  and  362  of  Mrs.  Bryson's  "  John  Kenneth 

Mackenzie  "  be  read  to  the  class,  and  the  leading  facts 

of  his  death  and  funeral  be  added  from  pages  365-371 

of  the  same  volume.) 
31.*  In  what  respects  are  medical  missionaries,  if  thoroughly 

Christian,  able  to   do   a  better  work   than  preaching 

missionaries  ? 
32.*  What  disadvantages  do  they  labor  under  ? 
2;^.    What  hints  from  Mackenzie's  youth  can  be  gathered  for 

our  own  Christian  living  ? 
34.*  State  the  characteristic  in  his  life  which  in  your  opinion 

accounts  for  most  of  his  success. 


CHAPTER   III. 
James  Gilmour.' 

1.  What  traits  of  his  parents  and  ancestors  appear  in  Gil- 

mour's  work  ? 

2.  Mention  home  influences  helpful  later. 


Appendix  237 

3.  Characteristics  of  Gilmour  as  a  schoolboy. 

4.  Testimony  of  a  college  friend  as  to  Gilmour,  the  student. 

5.  State  the  argument  which  led  him  to  become  a  missionary. 

6.  How  did  he  prepare  himself  by  missionary  work  at  home  ? 
(Have  a  brief  statement  prepared  concerning  Mrs.  Swan 

and  the  first  Mongol  mission,  using  pages  46,  283,  and 
284  of  Lovett's  "  James  Gilmour  of  Mongolia.") 

7.  Describe   the   cause   of    anxiety    of   Gilmour  upon   his 

arrival  at  Peking.  (A  two-minute  report  of  the 
massacre  may  be  made  up  from  Williams's  "  Mid- 
dle Kingdom."     Consult   index,  as  editions  vary.) 

8.  *  How  far  are  we  wrong  in  our  own  relation  to  the  senti- 

ment of  page  86  of  the  text-book,  lines  6  to  1 1  ? 

9.  Describe  the  scene  that  greets  the  traveler  just   as  he 

enters  upon  the  plateau. 

10.  What   were    the    dimensions    of   the  old  realm   of  the 

Khans  ? 

11.  Mention  the  facts  concerning  Gilmour's  language  study. 

12.  The  character  of  the  Lamas. 

13.  That  of  the  blackmen  or  laity. 

14.  How   does  a    Mongol   exhibit   his    religion   away  from 

home  ? 

15.  How  is  it  seen  in  the  home  ? 

(Have  a  five-minute  paper  on  Lamaism  as  seen  in 
Mongolia,  using  Chapter  XVIII.  of  Gilmour's 
"  Among  the  Mongols,"  or  encyclopaedia  articles  on 
MongoUa.) 

16.  Tell  the  story  of    Boyinto.     (Read  part  of  pages   162 

and  163  of  Lovett's  "James  Gilmour  of  Mongolia," 
in  order  to  give  further  facts.) 

17.  Gilmour's  summary  of  his  one  romance. 

18.  Describe  the  home   of  the  Gilmours  in  Mongolia  and 

relate  some  of  their  experiences. 

19.  Tell  of  his  Mongol  hunts  in  Peking. 

20.  Incidents  marking  his  home  furloughs. 

21.  What  facts  illustrate  his  deep  affection  for  his  family? 

(Have  some  one  read  the  letter  in  Lovett's  *'  James 
Gilmour  and  His  Boys,"  pages  151  to  155.  Show 
ih.e  facsimile  to  the  class.) 


238  Princely  Men 

22.  How  did  his  work  among  the  agricultural  Mongols   dif- 

fer from  that  on  the  grass-land  ? 

23.  How  extensive  was  his   practice  as  reported  on  page 

1 01  ? 

24.  What  facts  show  the  need  of  medical  work  there  ? 

(Read  to  the  class  the  paragraphs  on  pages  93  and  94 
of  Lovett's  "James  Gilmour  of  Mongolia"  in  justifi- 
cation of  his  lay  medical  workj 

25.  Describe  the  closing  days  of  his  life. 

26.  Give  an  account  of  the  funeral. 

(Read  extracts  from  Gilmour's  letter  on  total  absti- 
nence, found  on  pages  191  and  192  of  Lovett's  life 
of  him,  and  discuss  the  question  of  the  correctness  of 
his  position  in  missionary  work.) 

27.  In  what   respects   does   his   life  seem  to  have   been  a 

failure  ? 

28.  In  what  particulars  was  it  a  pronounced  success  ? 

29.  *  What  answer  has  the  future  life  to  give  concerning  the 

apparent  f ruitlessness  of  Gilmour's  efforts  ? 

30.  *  Name  two  or  three  lessons  that  mission  boards  might 

learn  from  Gilmo,ur's  life. 

31.  What  single  fact  or  characteristic  in  this  study  has  most 

impressed  you? 


CHAPTER   IV. 

John  Livingston  Nevius. 

1.  How  was  an  early  Dutch  ancestor  of  Nevius  connected 

with  New  York  ? 

2.  Incidents  of  his  boyhood. 

3.  Where  was  he  educated  ? 

4.  What  was  the  most  important  fact  connected  with  his 

experience  in  the  South  ? 

5.  *  In  what  respects  is  teaching  a  help  in  the  preparation  of 

every  missionaiy  ? 

6.  Characteristics  appearing  in  Nevius's  seminary  life. 

7.  Give  the  reasons  leading  him  to  go  as  a  missionary. 

8.  Incidents  in  the  Neviuses'  bridal  trip  to  China. 


Appendix  239 

9.     In  what  city  was  he  first  stationed  ?     Mention  some  of 

the  facts  that  marked  his  early  years  there. 
ID.     What  is  said  of  the  church  in  the  prison  ? 

11.  What  proverb  shows  the  Chinese  estimation  of  his  sec- 

ond station  ? 

12.  His  early  success  there  and  its  causes. 

1 3.  Circumstances  connected  with  leaving  Hang-chow. 

14.  Give  some  account  of  his  brief  service  in  Japan. 

1 5.  *  What  province  and  what  two  cities  were  the  scene  of 

the  most  fruitful  years  of  Nevius's  missionary  life  ? 

16.  State  the  leading  facts  concerning  the  T'ai  P'ing  Rebel- 

lion. 
17.*  What  might  have  been  the  present  religious  condition 
of  China  had  the  Rebellion  not  been  subdued  by  the 
aid  of  foreigners  ? 

18.  Dr.  Nevius's  account  of  the  rebels  near  Teng-chow  Fu? 

19.  What  are  the  main    points   of   difference  between  the 

Nevius  plan  and  ordinary  methods  of  missionary 
work? 

20.  Describe  Nevius's  touring  outfit. 

21.  Describe  a  street-preaching  scene. 

22.  How  was  the  work  conducted  at  a  new  station  ? 

23.  How  were  leaders  trained  ? 

(Introduce  here  the  main  points  of  his  letter  concern- 
ing the  theological  training  of  the  native  church  lead- 
ers, as  found  on  pages  231  to  239  of  Mrs.  Nevius's 
"  John  Livingston  Nevius."  ) 

24.  How  were   stations   to  be  increased  through  ordinary 

means  ? 

25.  State  the  objections  to  the  use  of  foreign  money. 


*  How  could  some  of  these  objections  be  removed  in  the 

old  system? 
What  criticisms  of  his  method  are  mentioned  ? 
How  did  his  plan  prove  its  value,  and  where  ? 
Describe  the  famine  of  1878  and  his  relief  work. 
How  did  both  natives  and  foreigners  show  their  esteem 

for  Dr.  Nevius  ? 
What  were  his  chief  literary  works  ? 
Describe  his  home  life. 


240  Princely   Men 

33.  Give  an  account  of  his  closing  days  and  of  the  funeral. 

34.  *  What  points   in  the    Nevius  scheme  of  missions  most 

commend  themselves  to  you,  and  why  ? 

35.  The  chief  lesson  of  his  life  for  you. 


CHAPTER  V. 
George  Leslie  Mackay, 

1.  To  what   country  does   Formosa  now  belong?     Why, 

then,  include  Mackay's  life  in  this  volume  ? 

2.  State  some  facts  concerning  his  ancestry. 

3.  *  What  points  in  his  eulogy  are  most  important  from  the 

missionary  viewpoint  ? 

4.  *  Would  you  take   exception  to  any  of  Mackay's  state- 

ments in  this  eulogy  ? 

5.  What  led  him  to  decide  for  missions  in  his  boyhood  ? 

6.  What   man   in    Scotland   most   impressed   himself    on 

Mackay?  (Give  some  further  facts  concerning  this 
famous  India  missionary,  using  the  "  Encyclopaedia  of 
Missions  "  and  general  encyclopaedias  for  material.) 

7.  What   psalm  was  especially  helpful  to  Mackay  on  his 

voyage  out  and  later  ?  (Read  two  or  three  of  the 
most  striking  verses  to  the  class.) 

8.  On  what  date  did  he  preach  his  first  sermon  in  Formosa  ? 

9.  Describe  Formosa  and  its  chmate. 

10.  Mention   some   of    the    points   of    interest   concerning 

Tamsui. 

11.  What  was  Mackay's  purpose  as  he  entered  on  his  work  ? 

(Give  some  of  the  salient  facts  in  the  work  of  previous 
missionaries  in  Formosa,  using  "  Effective  Workers  in 
Needy  Fields,"  pages  48  to  51,  or  the  "Encyclopaedia 
of  Missions."  ) 

12.  Describe  his  first  home  in  Formosa. 

13.  Who  were  his  early  language  teachers  ? 

14.*  Comparing  what  has  been  said  of  language  study  in  the 
book  thus  far,  what  plan  of  study  most  commends 
itself  ? 

1 5.     Tell  the  story  of  Mackay's  first  convert. 


Appendix  241 

16.    How  was  he  trained  ? 

17.*  To  what  extent  is  a  love  of  the  beautiful  a  product  of 
Christianity  ? 

18.  Describe  the  steps  in  the  painter's  conversion. 

19.  Who    was   the    tirst    woman    convert  ?     What   was    the 

result  of  her  conversion? 

20.  Early  chapel  preaching  experiences. 

21.  Tell   how  the    Gibraltar  of    Formosan   heathenism  was 

captured. 

22.  Describe  the  triumphal  procession  of  1893. 

23.  The  causes  and  consequences  of  the  French  invasion. 

24.  What  of  Mackay,  the  itinerant  ? 

25.  Give  the  main  facts  of  his  Christmas  evening  among  the 

savages. 

26.  How  do  the  head-hunters  celebrate  their  captures  ? 

(Let  a  brief  report  be  made  concerning  the  head- 
hunters,  giving  a  partial  justification  of  their  cruelty. 
Chapter  XXVIII.  of  Mackay's  "  From  Far  Formosa" 
gives  details.) 
27.*  Show  the  essential  unity  of  Mackay's  plan  and  that  of 
Jesus,  in  his  "  peripatetic  university." 

28.  Give  the  main  facts  concerning  Oxford  College  and  the 

Girls'    School.     (Add   points   concerning   them   from 
pages  294-296  of  "  From  Far  Formosa.") 

29.  Describe  Mackay's  work  as  doctor  and  dentist. 

(Have  a  class  member  read  from  page  314,  bottom,  to 
316,  middle,  in  "  From  Far  Formosa.") 

30.  What  of  his  family  ? 

31.*  What  further  arguments, /r^  and  con,  can   be  given  for 
Mackay's  course  in  marrying  a  Chinese  lady? 

32.    What  Canadians  aided  him  in  his  Formosan  work,  and 
to  what  extent  ? 

■^T^.   The  effect  of  his  visits  to  Canada. 

34,    Describe  his  last  days. 

35.*  In  what  respects  does  Mackay  surpass  the  other  mis- 
sionaries named  in  this  book  ? 

36.*  How  do  you  account  for  a  seeming  superiority  ? 

(Have  a  five-minute  paper  prepared,  showing  the  hero- 
ism and  holy  boldness  of  Mackay.) 


242  Princely   Men 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Princely  Martyrs. 

(Let  the  session  begin  with  the  reading  in  concert  of  the 
first  two  sections  of  page  185,  and  after  the  work  has 
been  gone  over,  let  the  class  read  the  last  section  of 
the  same  page.) 

I.  Name  some  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  Boxer  Upris- 
ing. 

2.*  What  parallelisms  do  you  see  between  this  uprising  and 
the  action  of  our  forefathers  in  the  Revolution  ? 

3.  To  what    extent   were    missionaries    the    cause    of    the 

troubles  ? 

4.  In   what    provinces    were    the   missionaries   martyred  in 

1900  ?  (It  would  make  this  information  more  vivid,  if 
the  members  should  write  in  on  the  text-book  map  the 
number  of  those  massacred  in  each  province.) 

5.  Who  were  the  responsible,  and  who  the  immediate,  agents 

in  these  atrocities  ? 

6.  Mention  two  or  three  of  the  points  made  in  the  Boxer 

placard. 

(Have  a  resume  of  the  article  on  the  evolution  of  a 
Boxer  read.  An  excellent  source  of  information  is 
The  Missionary  Review  of  the  World,  February,  1902, 
pages  126-128.) 

7.  State  some  of   the  facts    concerning    the   T'ai-yiian    Fu 

massacres. 

8.  What  most  affected  you  in  the  paragraphs  on  "  Living 

Martyrdoms  "  ? 

9.  To  what  extent  did  the  love  of  Jesus  influence  even  chil- 

dren at  this  time  ? 

10.  How  did  women  school-teachers    show    their   Christian 

heroism  ? 

11.  Would  American  students  be  likely  to  endure  martyrdom 

more  bravely  than  the  Chinese  students  spoken  of .? 

12.  What  one  feature  in  the  martyrdoms    of    Li    Shu-chih, 

Wang,  Liu,  and  Mrs.  Wu  most  moved  you? 


Appendix  243 

13.  Give  the  story  of  the  heroic  descendant  of  Mencius,  in- 

cluding the  funeral  honors  paid  him. 

14.  Tell  of  the  Presbyterian  holocaust. 

15.  What  of  Pitkin  and  his  women  associates? 

16.  His  last  night  and  the  message  sent  to  his  little  son. 

17.  The  death  of  Misses  Morrill  and  Gould. 

18.  What  were  the  results  of  these  many  martyrdoms  ? 

19.  In  what  did  the  real  victory  of  the  martyrs  consist  ? 

20.  In  what  respects  do  these  heroes  of  the  faith  challenge  ufi  ? 

21.  What  lessons  does  this  chapter  teach  us? 

A  Backward  Glance. 

Either  as  part  of  the  above  session,  or  as  a  feature  of  the 
meeting  at  which  the  next  course  of  study  is  exploited,  a  brief 
review  of  the  book  may  be  provided  for.  It  should  include 
some  of  the  points  which  were  made  special  features  at  each 
study,  together  with  some  new  material.  The  following  are 
merely  suggested  topics  which  may  or  may  not  be  useful. 

I.    Robert  Morrison,  a  pioneer  in  chains. 

1.  Mastering  a  most  difficult  tongue. 

2.  The  dictionary-maker. 

3.  Giving  the  Bible  to  one-fourth  the  race. 

4.  The  hand  of  God    revealing  itself  through  the 

pioneer. 
II.    John  Kenneth  Mackenzie,  an  epoch-maker  in  medi- 
cal missions. 

1.  China's  need  of  Western  medicine. 

2.  Prayer,  the  key  of  Mackenzie's  life  and  of  his 

success. 

3.  The  power  of  a  Christlike  life  when  combined 

with  healing  power. 

III.  James  Gilmour,  who  trod  the  winepress  alone. 

1.  A  Mongolian  picture-gallery. 

(a)    Dangers  threatening  Gilmour.  (d)  Heroism 
of  his  life,     (c)  Its  lessons. 

2.  The  life  of  loneliness  and  its  inward  supports. 

IV.  John  Livingston  Nevius,  an  upbuilder  of  the  native 

Church. 


244  Princely   Men 

1.  What  he  did  through  books. 

2.  The  itinerant  at  work. 

3.  The  organizer  of  Chinese  church  Hfe. 

4.  What  would  you  do  with  the  same  problems? 
V.   George  LesHe  Mackay,  and  the  training  of  his  disci- 
ples. 

1.  A  savage  environment. 

2.  Pictures  of  his  disciples. 

3.  The  educator  and  trainer  of  Formosans. 
VI.    Martyrdoms  and  victories. 

1.  Rationale  of  the  Uprising. 

2.  Missionary  martyrs. 

3.  Native  witnesses. 

4.  Victories  through  death. 

VII.    What  these  studies  have  done  for  me. 

1.  In  the  way  of  imparting  interesting  information. 

2.  In  evidencing  the  truth  and  power  of  Christian- 

ity. 

3.  In  suggesting  ways  of  working  here  at  home. 

4.  In  inspiring  me  to  follow  the  example  of  these 

imitators  of  Christ. 


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Princeton  Theological   Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01085  1782 


Date  Due 


